Zero Hopes
by Jude998
Summary: Jesse's younger sister comes into the picture, putting a spin on the plot as we know it. Starts during the time line of first season, following loosely. CassidyxOC TulipxJesse
1. Testing The Waters

Jesse's younger sister comes into the picture, putting a spin on the plot as we know it. Starts during the time line of first season, following loosely. CassidyxOC TulipxJesse

This fan fiction takes place around the time Cassidy's the middle man between DeBlanc & Fiore and Jesse. Tulip knows Cassidy's a vampire, but Jesse doesn't yet.

* * *

She walked up to the noisy bar, pulling the heavy wood door open. Upon her entry, she was greeted by everyone's glance, along with a wave of body heat and booze. The twangy music continued as the chatter of people diminished.

Seeing a new face was one of the most interesting things that could happen to the people of Annville.

As she searched each pair of eyes, she realized none of them were the ones she was looking for, "Has anyone seen Jesse Custer?" She asked aloud. No one responded, as they turned back to each other, the chatter getting louder again. Walking towards the bartender, she let out a sigh, "Excuse me," She said with her voice raised over the chatter and music, "Have you happened to see Jesse Custer around here recently?"

The bartender was drying out a glass as he raised his eyebrows, "Preacher Custer?" She mirrored him, raising her eyebrows back, " _Preacher_?" She repeated in question. He nodded. She breathed in, "Have you seen him?" The bartender shook his head, "Sorry darlin', haven't seen him around tonight."

"Alright," She slapped a hand on the counter, pressing her lips together and turning away, "Thanks for nothing." She mumbled bitterly.

As she marched towards the door, the heels of her shoes clacked against the wood floor. With heavy frustration she pushed open the door to leave.

"I can help y'find 'im." A voice pulled her attention as she stopped in her steady momentum. She rocked back on her leg behind her, looking towards the stranger, a man sitting at a table beside the door. His grip around the neck of a tall bottle of dark liquid, and his one leg crossed over the other, resting up on the seat in front of him on the other side of the table.

The fact he was wearing sunglasses both inside and at night was a sure sign not to take the stranger too seriously.

She dropped her shoulders, not confident, but desperate, "Where is he?" She hadn't let go of the door, holding it open for convenient escape.

"Oh c'mon," He coaxed in his foreign accent, "Awfully bold of you t'just cut to the chase like that. Fancy a sit down n'have a drink?" He lowered his head, peaking his eyes over his sunglasses frames, before throwing his head back to take a swig out of the bottle in his grip.

"Not much of a drinker," She said shortly, her eyes scanning the bar, "Are you tell me where to find him or not?"

"Just havin' a little fun s'all." His eyebrows rose over his sunglasses as he sat up straight, "Have y'ever t'ought lookin' fer a preacher in a bar may not be d'best place?"

Reaching past her limit of patience, she gave up, "Thanks for the helpful insight." She said sarcastically as she pushed herself through the door she had held open for the easy exit she anticipated she would need. At the same time, behind her in the bar, she heard a chair screech against the wood floor as she was quickly followed by the stranger.

At first she was cautious, stopping in her tracks and turning to him defensively, unsure what to expect. He smiled at her, "Well perfect, cause I'm gonna head on too, then." He said, throwing his hands in his pockets and shrugging his shoulders.

Despite his devilish grin, she didn't feel as threatened by him as she at first thought she should be.

She pulled her eyes away and continued her brisk march, trying to catch a lead on him and hoping he would lose interest. When she reached her vehicle, the strange man whistled, "Quite the whip y'got y'self, love." He said, glancing at the dark SUV, sticking out like a sore thumb in the small gravel parking lot of the town's local watering hole.

She didn't give anything back to him other than a side glance, hopping into her vehicle and closing the door.

Rolling down the window, she looked at the stranger one last time, "If you see Jesse Custer, would you tell him his sister is looking for him?" She turned to her right as she began to back up.

"Wait!" The stranger yelled, extending out his arms in front of him and holding his hands out as he skidded towards her vehicle, "His sister?" She stopped once again and turned back to him, nodding once.

He tilted his head down to peak the tops of his eyes over his sunglasses, "Seriously?"

With a scoff, she turned away from him, "You're wasting my time," She spat, beginning to back up again.

"Just testin' the waters! Can't trust anyone 'round here as it turns out." He growled, following her path as she continued to reverse, "But if it's true what ya say, and you're Jesse's sis. I can take ya to 'im."

She braked, skidding against the dirt and looked to him again.

" _Seriously_?" She asked, mocking his tone.

He nodded, "Seriously!" He said enthusiastically.

Staring at him, trying her best to see his eyes again, but it was useless past the shades he wore.

Following her gut instinct, she sighed heavily, "Get in."


	2. A Dream

She could hardly believe that she allowed the stranger in her vehicle beside her, but he was the closest thing to a lead as she had yet in this sad town and she didn't have the luxury of time, being in a frantic rush to find Jesse before something bad happened to him. As they drove down the wide and pitch black dirt road the past several minutes, the stranger beside her had hardly stopped talking. "Yea, yer brother n'I are real close." He said, trailing off. There was a brief pause, as he had finally stopped rambling.

It wasn't long before he couldn't bare the silence.

"Not much of a chatter are ya?" He said, rustling for something in his pocket. She heard a spark and slammed the breaks. He stared at her, his sunglasses far enough down on his nose she could see the tops of his eyes go wide.

Without hesitation she grabbed the cigarette from his mouth, crumpled it in her fist and threw it out her window, slamming on the gas again, "Are you _insane_?" She growled over the rev of the engine, "Smoking in here?"

"Alright, alright." He said, his eyebrows stayed arched over his frames as a smirk covered his lips.

She felt her cheeks get hot and she huffed, "Are we almost there?"

"Almost there." He assured.

Before they approached the end of the road, she stopped, letting her high beams hit the church like a giant spotlight, "Is this some kind of joke?" She asked.

"'Fraid not." He said, shaking his head. She shook her head as she pulled up and parked practically on the front steps of the church. She left her vehicle on, otherwise they would have been left in complete darkness, which wasn't an idea she liked.

She turned to him, "Just so you know, people know I'm here. There's GPS in my vehicle and they will come after me if I'm not back soon." She threatened gently.

He arched a brow, cackling, "It's not me y'need t'worry about in dis town, love."

She raised her chin confidently and she opened her door and followed him up the stairs. "Why the Hell would Jesse be here this time of night, anyway?" She asked.

"You'd be surprised." He opened the doors and hitting the light switches on the inside, turning back to her, "Damn guy wastes all o'is time 'ere."

Hesitantly, she made her way further into the church, feeling a bit uneasy as she felt for her gun in her purse at her side. She watched the man as he approached at the end of the isle, standing at the podium. She looked around, studying the church, "Where is he?" Her voice echoed.

"You weren't wrong t'start in the bar y'know." He waved the bottle in his hand towards her, "Funny tin' is, your brother n' I met a very similar way, we did." He said, taking another swig from the bottle, and hopping back down towards her, "Found him at the local bar, myself. O'course, it was all in a fuss n'such..."

"Local," She scoffed, "You're not local." She said, crossing her arms.

He pressed his lips together, "Somethin' we got that in common, then?" He said as he eyed her head to toe. It was painful how in order her image was. From her dark hair sleeked back perfectly into a tight bun on top of her head, to her blazer and dress pants that bared not a single wrinkle.

"Matter o'fact. You don't look or sound like you're from around these parts at all, hard ta believe y'even know Jesse, his bloody sister no less." His tone suddenly changed to a interrogation matter as narrowed his eyes above his frames. She felt her cheeks get hot with frustration as she stuck a tongue in her cheek, "Please," She spoke slowly as she mustered up the last amount of effort deep within her to talk as politely as possible, "If you could just get me my brother. It is _very_ important." The sweetness in her voice was so forced it almost came off as sour instead.

A laugh escaped his smile as grabbed his pack of cigarettes in his chest pocket, placing one between his lips and motioning the pack to her. She shook her head, trying her best to not let her short of patience get the best of her.

She knew the sweet front was no use, it was pathetically false.

She sighed, "How can I prove it to you then..."

"Cassidy." He finished for her, sparking the cigarette in his mouth.

"Cassidy," She recited back, raising her eyebrows to the ground, "If you really don't believe me, how about you just go and tell him that Lillian is in town and that she had a... a.." She struggled, "A terrible...dream." She said unconvincingly.

Cassidy dropped his head, peaking his eyes with an arched brow and a smirk, "A dream?" He asked doubtfully. Cassidy's voice cracked as he chuckled. She fidgeted on spot, her straight mouth showing her frustration.

"Forgive me, love. It just seems a little silly, don'tcha tink? Comin' all d'way here from ... where ever the Hell y'came from, all 'cos of a bad dream." He wrapped his grin around his cigarette.

"No!" She raised her voice, the harshness of it echoed in the empty church, "It's not, actually. It's _very_ fucking serious. If you're such a good fuckin' friend of Jesse like you say you are, you better get him the Hell here," She pointed a finger to him, "..and get him here _now_ God damn it!"

The silence rang in the room, "Jaysus!" Cassidy laughed, "Quite d'mouth y'got on that deceivingly angelic face of yours, eh?"

Lillian shifted her weight onto the other leg, sticking out her hip and biting her tongue, fighting the urge to follow all the psychical impulses raging inside of her.

Cassidy puffed his cigarette and nodded, "Right, then. I'll get right on that." And with that, he swaggered past her and walked out the church. Lillian huffed as she sat on the front row of benches that filled the church. She hunched over, exhaustion consuming her. Who even knew if this stranger she'd found at the bar was going to find Jesse? Chances were he wasn't - yet she was in a position where he was her only hope.

She heard a vehicle start outside as she stared up to the giant cross on display behind the podium, trying to picture her brother standing before the people of this tiny community, unable to believe the irony of him, of all people, preaching the word of God.


	3. Determined to Save

Lillian wasn't sure how long it had been since Cassidy had left, and she wasn't convinced he was coming back.

When the church door opened, she turned towards it right away. To her surprise, it was Jesse that walked in. She stood up and walked to the middle of the isle. He stood by the door and stopped there. The air was stale, but finally he spoke, "To what do I owe the pleasure?" He said bitterly.

"Jesse," She said soft as possible, "You need to leave Annville."

"Hmph!" Jesse chuckled while he smiled in an unbelievable manner, rubbing his chin.

"I'm serious, Jesse." She continued, "I saw you die. In this church. Two men are coming to kill you."

Jesse's eyes softened the slightest, a small detail Lillian didn't overlook. She continued quickly, "I don't know what you've got yourself into right now, but just let me help." There was a pause, "I can tell you _exactly_ what they look like." She kept going as long as she had his attention, "One tall and slim one, one shorter and stockier one with facial hair. Both had these god-awful, outdated, brown suits with cream cowboy hats." She realized how ridiculous her description sounded as she shook her head, "It sounds insane, I know, but trust me, it was _exactly_ like they used to be, Jesse." She said.

After a pause between them, Jesse finally cut the air.

"Well," Jesse said, clearing his throat, "Thanks for the heads up." He turned towards the door. "That's it?" She yelled at him as she walked closer to him. Holding her arms out, "What's all this. _Preacher_? People coming to kill you?... Tell me what's going on." She said.

Shaking his head, Jesse turned his head to her with a fiery glare in his eyes, rasping quietly, "You don't just get to waltz in here and demand answers." He turned, walking towards the front door again.

"Jesse!" She shouted to him, "You're leaving, right? You're leaving Annville." She said it as if it was more of an assumption than a question.

He turned back to her, "I've been doing just fine without you around to tell me what to look out for," His cold words burned, "I'm sure I can handle whatever it is that's coming my way. Besides. Annville needs me." He pressed his finger into his chest proudly, "I've been blessed with a gift, and the people need me, Lillian."

She laughed once in an implausible manner, "You can't be serious." Her shoulders dropped as did her arms to her side, "Jesse, you will _die_ if you stay here. You want to die?"

He kept his back to her standing in front of the door and Lillian's eye caught slight movement. She hadn't noticed Cassidy as he stood at the back, against the wall, watching the situation unfold. His lips were pursed and he looked tense as he watched the two of them banter back and forth.

She looked back to her brother. Their stubbornness clashing against one another was a familiar feeling.

"I haven't had _any_ kind of premonition in years, and now it shows itself to me with the soul purpose to save you, and you disregard it completely?" She shook her head, raising her hands to the church around them, "Playing pretend, acting like a too-good preacher. How selfish of y-"

He spun around to interrupt her, " _Selfish?!_ " Jesse roared, storming down the isle towards her.

She flinched and watched in disbelief as the benches moved themselves as Jesse quickly passed each row, she took a few steps back slowly.

"How _dare_ you!" The volume of his voice was emphasized by the empty space of the church.

There was only a few feet between them, Lillian could hardly catch her breath let alone form a word.

"As if you're any better than me," Jesse growled lowly, eyeing at her up and down with a scowl.

Cassidy immediately noticed a shift in Jesse's presence. The energy of the room changed completely. There was an unpleasant feeling, as if nails were scrapping against a chalkboard. The lights flickered before they dimmed.

From the corner of Lillian's eye, she saw Cassidy push away from the wall and stand upright.

" **Go back to Worthington. Back to your job. Back to only caring about yourself. Forget the premonition. Forget I exist**." Jesse ordered.

In front of him stood his sister, wide eyed before finally she blinked. He waited, expecting her to dance out the door at his command. Instead, her eyebrows lowered and eyes narrowed, "Jesse," She hissed softly, "What the Hell was that?" Staring into his eyes, she was now realizing there was something about him that had changed drastically - and it had to be a reason she'd had her vision of him.

With a sharp exhale, Jesse stared at his sister. She hadn't been phased by Genesis whatsoever. His face released completely from it's hardened state. They stared at each other in equal amounts of confusion. Cassidy stepped closer in curiosity, leaning on the back row of benches.

"Jesse," She said sternly, closing the last of the distance between them. They stared directly into each others eyes, and Lillian did her best to get to him, "Just tell me what's going on." She said lowly.

She kept her eyes burning into his as she spoke slowly and sternly, "You need to leave Annville, Jesse. Now. Come with me." She felt confident as she stared into his eyes, feeling as if she had him convinced.

There was only a couple seconds of silence, but it felt like much longer.

" **Leave**." He tried again.

Her face wrinkled as she pushed his shoulders, "Stop that! Stop trying to tell me what to do, and _don't_ tell me to forget, because I won't. I'm not leaving here without you, Jesse!" She insisted. Jesse's lips were pressed tight, as he lifted a finger to point at her as if he had a lot more to say. She lifted her brows, encouraging him.

He turned away, " _Fine_!" He bellowed, storming towards the door, "See if I give a shit!"

"You're going to die if you stay here, Jesse!" She shouted sourly, stomping behind him.

He responded by slamming the door, shaking the frame of the old church. Cassidy shot his eyes at her quickly before he ran out after him.

She dropped her shoulders and turned back around to the front of the church. With her heart beating hard against her chest, she sat back down on the bench at the front, noticing the lights above her brightening again. _What the Hell was that?_ She wondered.

She squinted up at them and shook her head, then sinking it into her hands, contemplating what more she could do to save her brother from the town he was so determined to save.


	4. Conversation Starter

Cassidy had jumped into the church's van he'd used to find Jesse in the first place and chased after him while he sped away in his truck, following him to Tulip's uncles. "Jesse!" Cassidy yelled at him, following him storming towards the front door of Tulip's, but he didn't stop or listen. When they got inside, Tulip was there, "Hey." She said, walking out to them from the kitchen, surprised to see Jesse show up to see her.

Jesse stood in the middle of the living room, "You knew about this, didn't you?" Jesse growled, his eyes sharp, "You called her here, another one of your _genius_ ideas to try and get me outta here?" Cassidy slunk against the wall, sitting on a chair he found as he watched the conversation unfold.

Tulip gave him a very unimpressed look, leaning her hands against the back of the couch as she raised her shoulders and pursed her lips, "What in the Hell are you talkin' about Jesse?" She sang calmly as she shook her head.

"My sister!" Jesse bellowed, pointing at her and nearly foaming from the mouth.

Tulip raised her eyebrows, "She's here?" She asked, dipping her head down.

Jesse scoffed, sitting on a couch and pulling at his face with his hands as he groaned, "Just admit it, damnit. Enough bullshit, already." Tulip stood up straight and crossed her arms, smiling with her tongue in her cheek, "No, as a matter of fact, I didn't." She said sternly, baring her teeth.

Jesse threw his head to the side, his knees bouncing in anxiousness. "Jesse, ya can't ignore your sister forever." Tulip rolled her eyes.

"Yes, I can." Jesse said stubbornly, standing up and pacing around the room again in frustration, "All I'm askin' is that you ignore her, and if you have to talk to her, just tell 'er to leave." He said sourly "Christ." He hissed under his breath.

Cassidy listened curiously, "Wot's s'bad about 'er, anyway?" He prodded.

Jesse laughed once, "Ha!" raising his eyebrows as he continued to pace, ranting to the ground, "Well, for starters, she's a selfish bitch. Don't be fooled by her front. She'll burn you down as soon as she's got what she's wanted." He shook his head, "Secondly-"

Tulip scoffed, "C'mon Jesse, knock it off. Practice what you preach, preacher." She threw her hand out, talking louder to match his volume, "Forgive and forget, all that. She's your damn sister for Christ sake." Jesse snapped, "Don't be tellin' me how to practice my faith!" His face was red. Tulip kept her eyes low and her mouth tight as Jesse lashed out.

"She thinks she can just come here, disruptin' my life like it's up to her what I do," Jesse kept venting as he paced around, "Tellin' me to get out of here. Well I _ain't!_ " He looked sternly at Tulip, and pointed a stiff finger to her, "I'm sick of people tryin' to tell me what to do, to get me to leave. I'm not leavin'!"

Tulip stared with her big doe eyes to Jesse, pressing her lips together in a line. Jesse tore his eyes off hers and marched out the door, slamming it behind him.

Cassidy fidgeted, "Jaysus!" He exclaimed, "Shite's really goin' arseways, ain't it?" Leaning back in his chair he shook his head, "I ain't goin' after 'im again. He needs t'cool down." He said, pointing at the closed door. Tulip passed him a brief glance, shaking her head. She walked towards the coffee table grabbing a pack of cigarettes from it as she sat on the couch, sparking a smoke, "What did Lily say to Jesse?" She finally asked Cassidy, who raised his eyebrows, " _Lily_?" He repeated as a large grin covered his face, "Lily n' Tulip." He chuckled, "Just need to meet a Rose or a Daffodil n'ye got yerselves a full bouquet." He cackled.

Tulip narrowed her eyes to him, puckering her lips in a very unamused manner.

"The three of us used to do a lot of work together, " Tulip said, "But she got a real good gig a few years back. Turned out to be right before one of the worst days of me and Jesse's workin' lives." Her eyes were suddenly much more hurt, "After that day Jesse and I weren't the same. Jesse likes to think that if she was with us that day, that things would've gone differently. That we wouldnt've needed that no good, piece of shit, life ruinin', murderin' son of a bitch, Carlos."

"So," Cassidy started, his face wrinkled in confusion, "What yer sayin', is that Jess resents his sis, all cos y'had t'replace her? N'that wanker Carlos screwed y'over, then?"

"Fucked us over big time." Tulip clarified.

"Well if 'es the one who ruined it all, why's it that _she's_ gettin' the shite end o'the stick? That doesn't seem too fair, now does it?" Cassidy said, leaning back, "Shouldn't this gobshite Carlos should be gettin' all th'shit?"

Lowering her eyes at him, Tulip inhaled, "I'm workin' on that." After a moment and a deep breath, Tulip shook her head, taking another drag of her cigarette, thinking about Jesse and Lily, "Those two always had a way to put blame on each other for every damn thing. Wouldn't be surprised if I saw them blamin' each other for the weather." Tulip laughed, bobbing her head, "He had a point. Things would'n't've gone that way if we didn't have to replace her in the first place, but in my eyes, it's not her that should be sufferin' for that piece of shits actions." She scowled.

Cassidy squeezed his lips together into a flat smile. "But Jesse..." Tulip said lowly, "He's near impossible to convince to change his mind."

"Well," Cassidy said, leaning forward again, suddenly more serious, "She knew about somethin' that only Jess n' I knew about. How?" He asked, leaning forward with his hands on his knees. Tulip shook her head, throwing her arm over the back of the couch and turning to Cassidy, "She always had this..." She started, "This sense. Could see things comin'."

Cassidy bunched his lips together, his brows furrowing as he listened intently, tilting his head up, "So, wot? She can see into the future n'shite?" He fluttered his narrow eyes, shaking his head. Tulip waved her head side to side, "Not really. Well. Somethin' like that, I guess. Has no control over it, usually happened fairly soon after she saw it, but sometimes it gave more notice than other times."

"Are they accurate?" He asked.

She nodded, "To a fucking tee."

"Hm," Cassidy said, his chin raised as he thought.

"What?" Tulip asked bluntly.

"I just ask cos Jesse doesn't seem t'take her word too seriously." Cassidy said, drinking from his bottle.

"Whatchya mean?" Tulip asked in a low tone.

"She told 'im he was gonna die and he didn't seem too phased by it."

Tulip perked up, "She saw him die?" She said in an alarmed tone.

Cassidy's face scrunched, "That's wot she said. I don't know what to think since she clearly described those angel clones n'I got a peace offerin' wit them right now-" As usual, Tulip had drowned Cassidy's rambling out, dismissing his confusing, yet crucial, words as complete nonsense while her mind raced. He continued, leaning towards her as if she was listening, "I've got those two convinced t'leave Jess the fok alone, fer now anyway," He said nonchalantly, " So if you're sayin' wot she's seein' is gonna happen.. Then they're gonna turn on me, then aren't they?"

"If Lily saw Jesse die, Jesse is going to die." Tulip said gravely, not taking in any of Cassidy's information, her face suddenly white. Cassidy nodded, "Alright then," He took a swig of a small bottle from his coat, "Well, Jesse 'ought t'get over all that nonsense of the past soon." He sighed, "He's gonna need all th'help he can get."

Tulip swallowed against the lump in her throat, zoning out on the ground as her mind raced, "I haven't talked to Lily in years. Not on purpose. After what happened with-" She choked on her words, back peddling as Cassidy noticed a sorrowful glint in her eyes. Clearing her throat, Tulip swallowed again and moved her eyes from the ground back up to Cassidy, "After Carlos we lost touch. And she was hard to reach. And Pretty soon I was hard to reach - runnin' all over the place." She chuckled lightly. She sighed, standing up, "It's been a long time... but if she's tryin' to get Jesse outta here, that's a good enough of a conversation starter for me."


	5. It's A Good One

Cassidy drove the church's van he had helped himself to with Tulip in the passenger seat beside him. He wasn't surprised to see the SUV still sitting at the front of the church steps, and it was _still_ running. He turned to Tulip, "Ye comin' in, then?" He asked.

"In a minute." Tulip said, staring to the church doors. "Y'ok?" He asked. She blinked, and swallowed, "Yea. Just been a while is all." Cassidy nodded, "Alright, then." He said with a clenched voice, lunging out of the van.

He reached his hands into the ignition of the SUV and grabbed the keys. When he walked into the church, Lily was sitting at the front, she turned around on her seat on the front row bench when she heard him enter, but the clear disappointment in her face proved that it wasn't Cassidy she was hoping for. He walked down the isle towards her, as she faced forward again, leaning back into the bench.

"What are you doing back here at this time of night?" She asked, not looking back at him.

"Well, fer starters, I live up in the attic." He pointed a thumb over his shoulder, "Fer the time bein' that is." He straightened his mouth, "What are _you_ doin' here at dis time o'night?" He countered as he made up to the front of the church to stand by her side, handing her the keys.

"Oh," She grabbed her keys, "I forgot I left it running.." She looked up to him standing beside her, "You live in the attic.. of a church?" Lily asked. He simply nodded, as if it wasn't as unusual as it was. "So. Wot _are_ ye doin'?" Cassidy repeated. With a sigh Lily swayed her head to the other side, "I guess I'm just thinking about what I can do to get it through to my hardheaded brother to leave this town."

Cassidy nodded, "I see. Well, I think y'might be pleased t'hear, y'got someone who wants to help ya." Lily raised her shoulders stiffly, her face not hiding the confusion. On cue, the door opened again, it was Tulip walking in towards the two of them.

Lily stood up and spun around, staring at her in amazement, "Tulip?" She said breathlessly.

"Hi, Lily." Tulip said warm enough, a small smile across her lips as she walked up to her. Lily quickly met her halfway and grabbed her shoulders, pulling her into a quick hug. Tulip's arms were under Lily's as she patted her back awkwardly, Cassidy smirked with a look of amusement on his face as he leaned against the side of a bench, one leg crossed over the other just as his arms were.

"What are you doing here, have you been here the whole time?" Lily asked, pulling away from her to stare at her face again.

"Pfft," Tulip scoffed, crossing her arms, "Ya, right." She shifted in spot, "No, I haven't. Just got here about a week ago, actually. Guess you and I came here for the same reason." She said, rocking forward. Lily nodded, "Yea," Her brain was racing as she stared at Tulip in front of her. She was caught off guard, "Tulip, it's been so long." She said.

Tulip held a hand up, "Let's just focus on gettin' all of us out of here and we'll do the whole sappy reunion thing later.. once we find a way to get your brother, and more importantly _us_ , out of this place." Tulip said. Cassidy was surprised to see a small smile cross Lily's lips, "Alright. What do we-" Lily's phone started buzzing in her purse. She turned to it, sitting on the bench at the front of the church, then back to Tulip and Cassidy who stared.

"Are ya gonna answer that?" Tulip asked slowly. Cassidy lifted a brow and dipped his head down to flash his eyes.

Lily scrunched her eyes shut and shook her head, "Yea, of course." She said with a smile as she turned around and walked up to the bench to grab her phone. She stared at the screen, a private number. She pressed the sleep button, silencing it. Lily cleared her throat, "I'll call back," she said, keeping her phone in her hand.

Tulip sat on a church pew at her side, Lily followed and sat on the one in front of her, facing Tulip.

"You saw him die?" Tulip said quietly, cutting to the chase. Lily nodded, her lips tight, as she studied Tulip's obvious stress. After all this time, after all they'd been through, she still loved him - and somehow, that made Lily relieved. There was no one better to have at her side in this moment than Tulip.

"I did. Right _here_ , of all places, imagine." Lily said, staring down at the church floor, "There was so much blood, Tulip, he was laying on his back at the front. These two men, one was singing to him, the other had a chainsaw, it was bouncing down this isle..."

"Wait a damn second!" Cassidy interrupted, "A chainsaw?" He chimed in, "Wait, wait, wait... Hold on." He held his hands out as he stared at the ground, piecing the information together in his head as he walked towards them. "Ya mean the one that nearly got to 'im regardless of the fact o'it bein' detached from the bloody body? There - there was an arm attached to it and it was headin' right for 'im!?"

Lily's neck nearly snapped she looked at Cassidy so quickly. The image of the body-less arm gripping the chainsaw as it bounced down the church isle towards Jesse's lifeless body had haunted her mind the past several hours.

She hadn't told anyone she had seen that yet.

Cassidy continued, staring at Lily as he had noticed her undivided attention, "No, no, no. Yer gettin' all in a fuss over nothin', that's all already done. I already dealt with that shite storm, thought they were after me, at first. I really did. Turns out they were after that thing in yer brother. They're all good now, I'm the middle men between them we're workin' it all out n'-"

"Cassidy!" Tulip interrupted harshly, throwing her head to the side, "Jesus. Go have another drink, will ya? We're tryin' to figure out somethin' serious for cryin' out loud!" Tulip hissed with annoyance, glaring him down, "Enough with all your conspiracy theories!"

Lily's eyes were glued to Cassidy in awe as Tulip pulled her, "Ignore him." She groveled, pulling her away from his attention. Lily kept her eyes on the tops of his that peaked above his frames. How could he have known? Tulip yanked at Lily's arm, "He's high."

No.

Well... ya, likely, he was.

But that was besides the point.

High or not, Cassidy knew _exactly_ what he was talking about, and Lily knew that without a doubt. How else would he have explained her vision perfectly? While still looking at him, she shook her head at Tulip and turned against her pull away from him.

"How did-" She began to ask him, but her phone rang in her hand again - interrupting her concenstration. She glanced at it, a private number appeared again, twisting her stomach. She had drowned out Cassidy and Tulip's voices, arguing against each other as her mind crowded with the dilemma of what she was going to do about the calls. It was only the second one, she knew it was going to become more frequent.

In in career, she was in the midst of closing a large deal with a highly anticipated potential partner for her employer. In the middle of the trial run of the big presentation, the vision hit her like a train. She left in a whirlwind with no communication to her colleagues let alone her boss. She bit her lip, dreading what was to come.

"Lily!" Tulip said, pulling her out of her thoughts as she raised her head up again. The buzz of her phone and the ringtone echoed.

"Pick up the phone, damn it, or throw the thing in the damn garbage." Tulip said annoyed.

"No, no," She declined the call again, "I'm listening." She look back to Cassidy, who was no longer facing them. Instead, he was crossed armed as he sunk down in the bench, facing forward and obviously unimpressed with whatever it was Tulip had said to him to shut him up. Tulip stared at Lily with her round eyes, "You're sure that's what you saw?"

Lily nodded, pulling her glance away from Cassidy and back to Tulip, "Positive." She said, her mind distracted.

Tulip's face shifted to an angry stance, "We aren't lettin' those bastards anywhere near him. A chainsaw. Hmph! We'll show them a damn chainsaw. We'll show them **six** chainsaws. Two each. C'mon, let's go talk some sense into your idiot brother. Before he gets himself killed." Tulip stood up.

Lily fidgeted in her seat, noticing Cassidy still facing towards the front of the church, puffing a cigarette and not paying much attention to the two of them any more. She needed to know how in the Hell he knew what she had seen in her premonition before she had even told a soul. He had described what she saw in perfect detail.

Her curiosity was killing her, but since he had clammed up so much after Tulip silenced him, she had a strong feeling she would have to wait for Tulip to leave for him to open up again. What if whatever she said pissed him off too badly, and he wasn't going to open up again? Lily didn't know Cassidy well enough to tell.

Tulip turned at the door, "Are ya comin'?" She said, her eyebrows raised. Lily pressed her lips together, standing up, "No, I think I should stay back, give him some space." She said, as much as she wanted to corner Jesse with Tulip.

"Well, in that case, can I steal your wheels?" Tulip asked.

"What's a-matter with the van? Not slick enough for yer standards?" Cassidy chimed in. Lily noted his interaction to the conversation as a good sign. "Hmph!" Tulip laughed.

"Go for it," Lily eagerly grabbed her the keys from her jacket pocket. "Thanks." Tulip grinned as she held her hands out. Lily tossed her the keys.

"Don't..." Lily started.

"Don't what?" Tulip asked in a stern manner, sticking a hip out. Lily shook her head, smiling. She knew that Lily would be as brave with her vehicle as she would her own, telling her not to would only make it worse.

"Nothing." Lily said softly.

Tulip smiled larger, "That's what I thought."

Lily sighed.

"Gimme your phone. I'll add my number." Lily handed Tulip her phone. When Tulip tried to open it, it was locked, Tulip tilted her head to Lily, handing her the phone.

"Oh," Lily said, tapping her finger against the reader, opening it up. Tulip's eyes were heavy as she pursed her lips at Lily, who just pressed hers into a short smile. "It's been a while since I've had your name in my phone." Lily said. Tulip nodded, her fingers busy, "Let's not let it happen again." The two of them exchanged warm smiles, thankful to have each other in touch again, "There," Tulip said, "I added my-" Tulips words were cut short by Lily's phone vibrating and ringing loudly with a phone call once again, the screen changing to the call coming in.

Tulip scoffed, "Jesus Christ!" She yelled, putting an end to their soft moment, "Lily, I'm going to _shoot_ that thing!"

Lily snatched her phone from Tulip's hand, "Don't!" She silenced it again, knowing she couldn't pull that move off for much longer. Tulip couldn't help but smirk as she turned towards the door, Lily followed her to the door, peaking a glance back to Cassidy before walking Tulip out, she closed the church doors behind her and turned back to Tulip. "Tulip," She started, "About Cassidy.." She whispered.

Tulip glanced to the church door, "You don't have to worry about him. Cassidy is a good enough of a guy. Him and your brother seem to get along famously.. He's never short of fucked up most times, but he's harmless. Don't worry about him." She assured, as if she read her mind. Opening the vehicle door and stepping up to the running board of the SUV, she had one last note, "I mean, I'm sure he'll let you know all about his story. It's a good one." She smiled.

Lily wasn't sure what to think of those words as she nodded. Tulip closed the door to the drivers side.

Lily perked up,"Oh, Tulip!" She waved for her not to leave as she walked to the passenger side, opening the door, "I'll grab my bag." She pulled out the handle on her small, black luggage style bag. She watched as Tulip sped off, dust trailing behind her and soon she had vanished in the dark, leaving her alone at the church with Cassidy.


	6. Glory of God

With curiosity burning through her, Lily quickly made her way back in to the church, closing the door behind her and peaking her head to see Cassidy still sitting in the same spot. She walked up to his side, "How did you know about all that?" She asked without hesitation, "About what I saw."

"I know exactly what y'saw." Cassidy said as he scooted over, patting the open spot beside him, " 'Cause I saw it too." He began. Lily looked to him at her side skeptically, "What do you mean?" She lowered her bag down to the ground, and then herself beside him, his arm extended on the back of the pew behind her. Cassidy sighed, lighting a cigarette, "Y'see we were mindin' our own business 'ere, yer brother and myself," He said dragging the cigarette out his mouth, "N' y'brother, we talked for a bit, shootin' shite, n'then he... uh... had too much t'drink, see?"

He wasn't willing to admit that to her it was because of Cassidy's moonshine and air conditioning fluid concoction that Jesse blacked out, but he _did_ have too much to drink, so he wasn't exactly lying. She seemed convinced, anyways.

Lily rolled her eyes slightly, "Okaaay..." She dragged.

"N'then," Cassidy continued, "He passed right out cold, right on the floor der," He threw his hand out to the area in front of them, "I stepped out t'get some more booze fer myself cause I wasn't quite on 'is level yet, n' I come back t'see yer brother almost get ripped apart by these eejits,... saved his arse that night, I did. Bastards tried t'cut 'im all up with a damn chainsaw. N'well.. y'know the rest, obviously."

"I-I..." She stared at the floor. She was unable to put words together at first, as she stuttered, shaking her head in confusion. She looked up to him, "I didn't see you. You weren't..." Lily realized that he knew as much as she did, more even. Hell, he saved Jesse's life himself.

Cassidy turned his head to her and puffed on his smoke, watching as her mind wandered. "It already happened?" She sunk back into the bench, "No wonder he didn't give a shit when I told him. I was too late.."

"Well, when did'ya see it?" Cassidy asked.

"I came here right away, took me ten hours to drive from Worthington, I didn't even bring hardly anything with me." She stared at her small hard shell bag on the ground beside her. As he inhaled from the smoke between his fingers, he shook his head, "Happened a few days ago now." Lily huffed, "I haven't had any kind of premonition in years, and now it's not even giving me what's coming. It's giving me hindsight." She shook her head, "Completely useless." She spat in frustration.

He shrugged, "Well, it brought y'back to y'brother, didn't' it?" Cassidy said, trying to be optimistic.

She couldn't find reassurance in his optimism, "He doesn't want anything to do with me." She looked back to him, "I guess I should say thanks for saving his life, since I did such a lousy job at it. I'll leave that to you, I guess." She pressed her lips into a sympathetic smile.

Cassidy nodded, "No trouble. Jus' doin' my job at bein' a good lad to 'im. He's my best friend, y'know."

"Hm." She said, holding her breath as her eyes studied the church. Taking a quick breath she looked at him, "So he's actually preaching? Like about God and all that?" Cassidy nodded, puffing from his smoke, "Yea." He exhaled, "Glory o'God n'all that shite." With her eyes fluttering she shook her head softly, "You don't believe in any of that, do you?"

He smiled, his eyes flickering down before he raised his head back to her, "I believe in lots'a things." He said vaguely. Thinking on that a moment, she swallowed, "I have to ask," She started, "What has my brother been getting himself into that he has people coming after him with chainsaws? Not that he would care if the roles were reversed." Cassidy rubbed his leg with his hand holding the cigarette, "Ah, don't say things like that." He groaned, "I'm sure that's not true. He'll come 'round and pull out whatever it 'tis that he's got up 'is arse, n'ye two will be huggin' n' kissin' again real soon," Cassidy said. He was relieved to see her chuckle, even if it was halfheartedly, "Jesse and I. Hugging and kissing." She sighed, "Yea right."

Grabbing the bottle he'd tucked into his side, Cassidy brought it up to his lips before moving them just an inch away to his cigarette, "Tulip told me a little bit about yew two, things will smooth out, I'm sure. I think yer brother is goin' through a bit o'somethin' at the moment, n'ye only have so many people who give a bloody rats arse about yer life." He glanced to her.

She nodded, staying silent.

Cassidy took a deep breath, "N'another thing is I never seen anyone resist his power when he uses it, so that's gotta mean somethin'. Even had me admittin' shite I didn't want." He laughed.

"What?" She asked, confused.

"I mean, when he told ya t'go away n'forget everythin' n'whatnot." Cassidy explained, "Had no affect on ya."

She tried to understand, "I don't," She paused, "The only thing I remember standing out was the benches shifting." Of course she recalled when the benches moved at Jesse's passing, "That was _him_?.. He had control over that?!" She asked remarkably. He nodded. "Gave ya a fright. I saw." Cassidy said. She tried to see look into his eyes past his shades, "Didn't'ya notice when he tried to use it on ya? Everythin' changes 'n go s'all arseways 'n shite. That's what it does."

She raised her eyebrows, "So this, _thing_.. what is it?" "It's name's Genesis," Cassidy started. "It's got a name?" She said unbelievably.

"A God-awful one, yea, but it's got one." He nodded his head, finishing the last of his cigarette, and sparking another one right after, "The angel fellers'," he leaned closer to her, "Those aren't people. They're somethin' else, those guys ya saw there in yer dream or wote'r ye want to call it," He said as he leaned back again, "They claim it's some kind of powerful form that escaped heaven n'took to yer brother. Now he can use it to force people to do what he says. No idea how it works, it jus' does." She stared at him at her side, intently, as he continued, "But whatever it t'is, not natural, not to be foked 'round with, that's fer damn sure. Yer brother needs t'get that thing out of 'im."

She sat in silence. It was all overwhelmingly insane. He was more in shock than she was at the fact that someone was actually listening and believing every word he was saying, for once.

"S'all a bit confusin' at first, but ye'll catch on." Cassidy said. She shook her head, "Yea." She said quietly.

"But you believe it'all?" He asked, not able to believe that she could himself. Her brows furrowed as she turned her head and stared at him, "Well it's all true, right?" She said. Regardless of his bizarre image and the strong scent of alcohol radiating off of him - He _had_ proven to know things she did that she hadn't told anyone. He'd described in excruciating detail, as if he saw the vision himself. Hell, he even knew more than her.

It was enough validation for her to believe anything else he had said.

Was that naive of her? She wondered.

"N'to top it all off," He said, dragging from his cigarette, "I'm a vampire."

"Hmph." She laughed through her nose. Cassidy frowned. "What?" She asked softly, hunching her shoulders over as she held on to the edges of the bench below her. Cassidy couldn't remember the last time someone gave him this much unwavering attention, let alone believed every word he said. There wasn't a doubt in his mind - he had to tell Lily about what he was, but before Cassidy could clarify he wasn't joking, her phone began vibrating again. "Shit," She said, grabbing it from her pocket and looking at it.

"It's awfully rude to have yer phone goin' off like that in church." He teased. "And smoking isn't?" She countered, glancing up from her phone. He threw the smoke on the ground and dug his boot into it, his arms still across the back of the bench. She shook her head with a smile, "I have to take this if I don't want to be murdered." She said as if she was joking, but really she wasn't. With a deep breath, she stood up.

Cassidy pressed his lips together and nodded, as she stared at the phone, walking towards the front doors of the church. "Fallin' short of the Glory of God, I see." He shouted to her. "Pray for me." She said in sarcastic desperation with a smirk.

He sparked another cigarette in his mouth and raised his legs up to the bench, "I'll pray fer the both o'us." He said, smiling around his cigarette.

She pushed against the church front doors, opening out to the solitary of the dark outside. Her smile vanished almost immediately. Little did she know, she would need more distance than that for Cassidy to not be able to hear her. He listened intently to her conversation. "Hi. Yes, I apologize. There was a serious... family emergency-" Her voice sounded like a different person entirely. There was silence as she listened to the other side.

"I understand. Again, I do apologize. It's not like myself to take off like that, it was just... quite the... scare. I will be back as soon as I can and I can assure you, this won't fall through. Everything's in line for next week. Yes... Yes. Absolutely." There was a long pause, "Of course."

Another pause before she ended the conversation, "Thank you." After a good ten minutes to herself, she walked back in, she stood at the end of the bench where Cassidy sat.

"Thanks for clarifying all that," She said, as if anything was clear at all, "Or, I guess, _explaining_ all of it... I need to go finish up some stuff. There's a motel down the road, right? I should go."

"Oh ya?" He asked, "How?"

Her face dropped, "Oh, shit." She spat. She grabbed her head, she forgot she had given Tulip her vehicle. "Y'can take the van, if you'd like." He offered, throwing her the keys. She moved out of the way of their path, watching them clank to the ground. Cassidy raised an eyebrow.

She picked them up and grabbed her bag, "Thanks." She looked at him again, "And thanks again for... all that." She said awkwardly. She walked towards the door, "If Tulip and my brother come back here tell them I'm down the road at the closest motel." She yelled back.

"That'd be the Sundowner," Cassidy said. "Tell them I'm there." She said. When she stepped outside and saw the van, she stopped in her tracks, lowering the hand that held the keys. She couldn't bring herself to even get in the vehicle. She turned around without hesitation, making her way back into the church. When she went back in, her eyes went to where Cassidy had been sitting, though he wasn't there. She walked through the second doorway further into the church, slowing her steps as she glanced around, wondering where he'd vanished to.

"Wot's the matter?" His voice from above her made her jump. She spun around and looked up at him standing on the upstairs loft area, leaning against the railing.

She raised her hand to her chest, "Jesus."

"Sorry," He said, a cigarette between his lips muffling his words a bit, "Didn't mean t'give ye a fright." She dropped her hand and stared up at him, "I changed my mind." He shifted, a brow arched, "You seemed pretty determined t'get out of here jus' a minute ago. Wot happened?" She raised her shoulders, ignoring his interrogation, "Is there a table somewhere in here?"

"Tell me why y'changed yer mind." He insisted. She bit her cheek, "I didn't want to drive your van." She admitted.

He raised his brows, standing straighter as he stayed in his attic area, "Hm," He took a drag, "Not up to yer standards, I see?" She felt her cheeks heat the slightest, "No offense," She said.

"I'm jus' givin' ye a hard time, not mine anyway. Belongs to the church." He said.

She dropped her shoulders, "Oh."

"Why do y'care so much, anyway?" He asked. She cleared her throat, and shifted her bag to the other hand looking up at him, "I just do." He nodded, silence between them as she waited, "Through there," He said, raising his arm and pointing to the door in the far corner, "In the common area." She turned and noticed a door in the far corner she had figured was a closet, "Thanks." She said, walking down the isle towards the door. "Love, that's the only beauty of this town." He yelled at her, "No one gives a shite about what y'do, _or_ look like _or_ drive!" His voice echoed, "Or anythin' else y'do fer that matter!"

"Ya, well, _I_ do." She grumbled back, her heels clacking against the wooden floor as she walked to the door and pushed it open. She was surprised to see the community area. A living area, kitchen and large wood table.

She flicked on a light and stared into the outdated surroundings, the dim light not making it much better in terms of lighting. She threw her bag on the table, grabbing a small key that hung around a bangle bracelet on her wrist. She placed it into the hole of the suitcase, opening it and pulling out various binders as well as a laptop. She moved things around and her mind spared no time to start racing.

"Wot kinda work you do?"

She gasped, turning, "Fuck!" She panted, "Christ!" Her skin tingled with the adrenaline from the scare, "Cassidy!" Her heart raced. "Yer awfully jumpy," He noted with a smile, pulling a chair from the table out and sitting on it as she stood beside. Lily turned back to the table and was quick to shut any binders that lay open and turn any loose papers over. He peered at a piece of paper in front of him, to which she yanked away before he could read anything, "And you're awfully _rude_." She countered, "You don't creep up on someone like that." She shot a side glare at him. "Won't happen again," He assured, lifting his bottle to his mouth.

She was surprised she hadn't smelt him sneak behind her, he reeked of the whiskey he drank, among other things. Lily stood still for a moment, then turned to him. He lowered his bottle and raised his brows, his eyes peering above his shades. She wondered how long it would take for him to get the idea that she wanted space.

"I'm just going to work for a bit." She hinted. "Why don' we go back to the bar, instead?" Her attempt did the exact opposite of her intention, as Cassidy leaned against the table, "Night's still young, shame to waste it." Cassidy suggested with a mischievous smirk. Lily huffed, "No, thanks. I'm not in the mood for being around a bunch of drunken red necks of a hick town."

He lifted his head, smiling. She held a hand out to him, "No offense if you do.." She said in obvious sarcasm. Staring towards the table, shifting things around, "Besides, I wasn't expecting to be here longer than a few hours, and that idea has gone out the window, so every minute I have to get shit done is all I have. Tulip should be back with Jesse soon."

"Ah, I see," Cassidy lit another cigarette in his mouth before throwing his hands up, "Not up t'yer standards. _Again._ Suit y'self then, love. Not far if ya change y'mind." She smiled shortly, knowing he was trying to get a rise out of her. She kept her mouth shut and her hands spread on her papers as she stuck a hip out, waiting for him to leave, "Alright."

"You're bein' borin', ya know." He teased, getting up from the chair. "Sorry. Guess I'm just a boring person." She shrugged her shoulders staring down to the table, arranging all of her closed binders and folders around.

"Ya, well," He groaned, "That's somethin' you n'yer brother have in common, I suppose." She continued to ignore him. Eventually, he stepped closer and she kept her strong front on as she looked to him, leaning away to keep a distance. He stood in front of her and she looked up to his shades, her face straight.

"Can I grab the keys, then?" His voice was low.

"What?" She scrunched her face, staring back down to the mess of work in front of her, "Are you crazy?" She laughed. When he didn't respond or move, she looked back. "You can't be serious." She said, "Aren't you a bit past drunk to be driving?" Lily asked boldly. He quickly reached in her jacket pocket, pushing her against the table, which screeched as it moved against the floor.

" _Hey!"_ She shrieked, grabbing the table behind her before pushing him away. She heard the jingle as he held the keys up, backing away. He sneered, his eyebrows arching up, "Y'said so yerself, it's a hick town full of a bunch'o red necks." He flashed his wild eyes over his shades to her before turning around, "Jus doin' my part t'fit in!"

Her cheeks were hot, she felt them go red in a combination of emotions. She was furious he'd pushed her around like that, and she was embarrassed he'd done it so easily.

She pushed herself off the side of the table and took a step forward as she watched him walk towards the front doors of the church through the door frame.

Lily pressed her lips together, watching him swagger away as he tossed the keys in the air and caught them again. Cassidy knew she didn't need to see his face to know he was grinning ear to ear, but as he headed out the front door, he turned to flash her a look at it anyway.


	7. Let's Not Forget

She had worked for a few hours, waiting to hear something from Tulip. Eventually, exhaustion had got the best of her. She found herself passing out as soon as her head hit the couch she had helped herself to in the corner of the community area. It seemed like she had just closed her eyes, when a sound woke her up. She sat up straight on the couch, turning her head to the wall as she listened closely. It was a low, steady sound. She got up, groaning as her head pounded in exhaustion. She squinted her eyes at her cellphone. Still nothing. She decided to send Tulip a text:

 _What's taking so long?_

It was nearly morning, she had slept much longer than she had thought. She was desperate to get out of this town with her brother and Tulip, and at this point, it didn't matter what she drove. She grabbed her small suitcase she had basically slept with, as it was on the foot of the couch, feeling subconsciously for the small key that hung around her wrist, which was there, as always.

Lily made her way from the common area back into the church, discovering what noise had woke her. It was the rhythm of snoring from the loft area.

Sounded like Cassidy made it back, which meant the van did, too. At least that's what she hoped. She quietly walked to the doors, opening them up to see the van, never expecting that sight to be a relief. Lily quickly walked up to it, hoping for the keys to be in the ignition. When the doors were all locked, she sighed, walking back into the church. She left her suitcase at the doorway.

She carefully walked up to the set of stairs leading to the attic. At the top of the stairs, she got sight of Cassidy sleeping on his back on a small cot. His one leg and arm dangled over the side and he was still in his full clothing, his shades still sitting on his face.

As uncomfortable as it looked, his insane snoring seemed to prove otherwise. She cautiously stepped closer, looking to any surface that the keys could be sitting around, the only thing lighting the small area was the early light of the sun beginning to hit the sky, peering in through the large circle window. She couldn't find any sign of the keys. She turned her head to where he lied, her eyes catching his pant pockets. As swift as possible, she made her way to his side before tracing his pocket with her fingers. Right as she felt the inside of the pocket at her very tips of her fingers, she was alarmed by the sound of his voice.

"Wot'ya doin'?" He groaned, he kept still and his eyes closed.

She pulled her hand back, staggering back a bit. He had seemed so deep in sleep, she was shocked that he had woken so easily. She could see his lips curl into a smirk, he opened his eyes the slightest to see the look of surprise on her face.

"I didn't mean to wake you." She said, as innocent as she could. He stretched his arms out before placing them behind his head, "No trouble," He shifted a bit, looking up at her as he adjusted his shades on his nose, "Y'know if y'want in my pants all ya have t'do is ask-"

"No!" She said sharply. Holding her hands out she felt her stomach twist at the idea, "No."

There was an awkward silence, she crossed her arms, "Wot, then?" He asked. "I just need to use the van to find Tulip and my brother." She confessed. "Hm." He raised his eyebrows, though his eyes were still nearly shut, "N'yer lookin' for the keys, then?"

She nodded, "Yes."

"Alright," He grumbled, sitting up on the bed, slipping his boots on. She watched carefully as it was dark. He stood up and walked towards her, "I'll go n'get the keys then, but I'm taggin' along." He said. "That's not necessary, I'll be fine." She said.

Stopping in his tracks, he glared up to her, "I'm taggin' along." He insisted, "Or else I'm tellin' yer brother y'tried t'take advantage of me jus now." He threatened playfully. Involuntarily, her shoulders raised and her eyes widened. Her face showed she was mortified at his threat, " _No one_ would believe that!" She practically shrieked. Cassidy grinned, turning around as he swaggered towards the stairs to head downstairs to the community area in the back of the church. Staying in the same spot up in the attic area, she pressed her lips together, shaking in annoyance. He'd known her for less than a day and he'd already figured out how to push her buttons, and he'd proven it not to be that difficult for him.

Lily exhaled deeply, turning towards the window behind her that faced out the front of the church. She placed her hands on the large, round window sill and glanced around. The sun was just beginning to peak over the horizon, as the sky was slowly beginning to light up. There was nothing in sight around the area, just vast dessert and flatness. The idea of this much privacy was kind of nice. She felt herself cool down at the thought.

Maybe Annville wasn't so bad...

Suddenly, there was a disturbance in her short moment of people. A cloud of dust down the horizon caught her attention, tearing her out of her train of thought. As the cloud slowly got larger, so did the knot in her stomach. She followed her gut instinct to be worried, dragging her hands off the sill as she stepped back from the window cautiously, still staring out it.

"Cassidy?" Lily said to the window. She heard the sound of the toilet flush on the other side of the building. Beneath the cloud of dust was a large box truck in the distance, heading straight down the road towards them at a startling speed.

Turning around, she leaned over the railing, raising her voice and the tone of it's nervousness, "Cassidy?" Her voice rang through the empty church. From the back of the church, she heard the rushing stomp of his boots against the floor as he was marching closer. When he walked back in, he stared up to her as he walked to the isle, standing in front of the podium, his hands busy buckling his belt, "Wot?" He asked, his brows above his sunglasses furrowed.

"Were you expecting anyone?" She asked, a lump in her throat as her hands clenched the railing.

He lowered his head, peering his eyes up to her with a brow arched, "Wot'd'ya mean?" He asked with concern. The rev of the approaching truck made Lily turn back to the window and Cassidy's head move towards the front door as he realized what the Hell she was talking about. It was almost there.

She turned to the stairs, stepping down to the first one.

"Wait!" Cassidy yelled, his harsh tone was shocking. Lily stood still.

"Stay up there." He said, "Don't move. Get down, n'don't say anythin'." He pointed sternly.

She stared at him, "Wh-"

"Just," He said urgently, "Fokin' listen, alright!?" He said in an almost annoyed tone, throwing a hand out to her. She stepped back up to the floor of the attic, looking at Cassidy with equal amounts of concern and confusion. Once he saw her move back, his glance moved from her, down to the door below where she stood.

She heard the truck skid to a stop and people approach the front of the dipped down onto her stomach, peaking through the gap of the floor boards to watch the strangers enter. There were a good amount of them, looking like a swat team in their protective gear and large rifles in hand. Her heart raced as she looked up to Cassidy at the end of the isle, who continued to stare at the direction of the strangers below her.

"Well isn't that awfully coincidental," Cassidy's voice bellowed, "I end up here, n'inside of the week y'manage ta track me down." He growled, "Unbelievable. I don't know how ye keep doin' it." The one man in front approached closer to Cassidy as the others spread out behind him, to the back of the church. All five of them had their aims on Cassidy. Lily's body was vibrating with adrenaline as she watched. Her gun. It was in her suitcase. At the doorway of the church. Her heart dropped.

"I jump out o'a bloody plane from the sky. Land in th'middle o'nowhere. Yet 'ere y'are." Cassidy continued.

She lifted her hand up, her eyes on the key that dangled on her wrist. She would have to unlock it her bag quickly when she got to it.

"Put your hands up," The burly man in the front said, "And turn around." To Lily's surprise, Cassidy did just that. The men enclosed him more. She looked up to the wall, a fire emergency axe mounted to it catching her eye. She stood up, as calm as possible, quietly lifting the heavy axe off it's mount, and stepping down the stairs ever so quietly. The five of the men were past the entrance to the church, she was careful to sneak past them. Lily quickly turned towards the door, to her surprise coming face to face with another man she hadn't noticed.

She gasped in surprise, throwing the axe upwards, cracking the man under the jaw as he fell backwards, landing back to the floor. Lily heard all the movement from behind her as she quickly glanced to see everyone's eyes on her, including Cassidy's. In an instant, shots began firing.

If she stood a chance she needed her gun. She turned back to the front door, her suitcase sitting where he left it, the axe still firm in her grasp. She ran for it, only to feel a sudden yank from behind. Someone had wrapped their entire arm around her, pulling her backwards as she fell flat onto her back. The axe clanked to the ground at her side as she heard gun shots from behind.

She winced, unable to move or breathe, until suddenly, she was moving without will. Someone had grabbed her underarms with a painfully grip and began dragging her back, she quickly stuck her foot out, catching the axe and kicking it up to her hand. In her grasp again, she swung it backwards to the person behind her, catching the blade in their shoulder.

The man screamed as he let go of her, causing her to fall back to the ground. She struggled to get up, desperate to catch her breath as she stared at the ceiling of the church. Lily finally stood up, grabbing the handle of the axe and pulling it out of the mans shoulder, spinning it around and hitting him in the side of the head with the backside of the blade, knocking him out. The gunshots continued as she turned back towards the door to get to her suitcase, she sprinted for it, ducking as she listened to bullets whiz past her.

A man moved quickly in front of the doorway. He was reloading his gun, this was her chance. Her hair fell over her face as she gasped for more air, ready to swing the axe to the man's head in front of her.

She froze, as she heard the cock of a gun directly behind her. When she spun around she was greeted with a shot gun barrel inches away from her face.

Lily stared down the barrel as she realized she was about to die. It was a surprise when she was pushed on her side, causing her to fall into a bench. She fell onto her side, the bench catching her, stumbling up quickly this time. As she stood up, she watched the man fire the shotgun right where Lily had been standing, where instead now stood Cassidy.

Her ears rang as she watched as the blow of the shotgun went through Cassidy's chest and out the back of it, the mess spraying outwards and his body flying backwards. Lily lost her breath, her mind was slowly playing out everything that had just happened, unable to process it. The amount of adrenaline filled her body made her weak. She heard the gun cock again, and she finally got in touch with time as she didn't waste any more of it.

She swung her axe to catch the man in the neck with the blade, he dropped the gun as she heard the other man shoot his towards her. She grabbed tight grip of the axe handle, swinging his body away from her. She yelled, yanking the blade out of his neck, the blood splattering all over the place. She watched the mans heavy weight fall, as Cassidy lunged up towards it.

Lily's heart jumped.

 _How_?!

As Cassidy grabbed the man, he pulled his face up to the gaping wound that Lily had just inflicted with the blade of the axe. Lily dragged her feet out to the isle, staring at the sight in front of her, once again losing touch of clarity, unable to process what she was witnessing.

The sight of Cassidy lapping all the blood.

The sound of Cassidy growling as he ripped the mans neck apart.

Lily's legs shook as she lost control. She dropped the axe out of her hands, unwillingly. She looked at the ground, only now noticing all the blood that covered it. She closed her eyes and felt nauseous as the overwhelming metallic smell of all the blood consumed her. She hardly noticed as a pair of hands had gripped around her neck, choking her. Her vision was splotching, when she was suddenly pushed forward. She landed hard on her front, feeling a snap in her ribs underneath her. She gasped.

Her ankles were in firm grip as she was being dragged backwards, she clawed for the axe, it grazed her fingertips as she was unable to get a grip of it. She grabbed on of the bottoms of the benches, pulling against the mans drag.

He gripped harder onto her ankles as she groaned in more pain, she released hopelessly. She watched as she got further away from her only hope - the axe. It was growing more distant, and so was her energy.

" _Oi_!" The unfamiliar voice bellowed. Lily looked up to see Cassidy standing from where she just was. His crazy eyes not hidden behind his sunglasses, which had obviously been lost in the midst of the mess. She studied the raw look of pure insanity in his eyes, framed by his face, neck and hands glistening in a wet scarlet. The fact _that_ was her only chance in surviving was unnerving. Watching intently, Lily's eyes didn't waver from the sight of Cassidy in front of her as her pointed to the man holding onto her, "Let's not forget it's me y'came 'ere for." He growled.

"Surrender or she dies." The man said shortly, holding tight on her ankles. Lily watched as another man approached Cassidy cautiously from behind. Cassidy didn't move or seem phased by the man behind him, "I don't even know the broad, she was in 'ere prayin' when I turned up 'ere." He lied.

Lily felt the man let go of her ankles, her moment to run. She scrambled to get up, only to have him step down on her back, pushing her back to the ground. She groaned louder, whining at the pain of the man putting the small amount of his weight on her, constricting her breathing. She worried how it would feel if he put any more of his weight. Cassidy thought quickly as the man played with her in front of him like a cat playing with a mouse.

Lily had seen too much already. Cassidy knew even if he gave himself up, they would still kill her. He had to fight if she had a chance.

" _C'mooon_ ," Cassidy groaned, "No sense in another innocent person dyin', right?" He coaxed. The man lifted his foot from her back. Not only did she knew better now then to move, she didn't think she could if she even tried. She listened as her heart beat filled her ears, becoming the only thing she could focus on as she was fighting to stay awake.

She felt the man jab his large boot into the back of her right leg. To the mans pleasure, she whimpered and tensed even more, her face against the floor and her hands clawing into the ground in front of her.

In the matter of the past minute she'd gone completely white. It was hard for Cassidy to stand so still. "On your knees." Lily heard the man behind her say. She slowly lifted her head to watch Cassidy, who wasn't getting anywhere close to bending to the floor.

There was silence only for a moment before a loud **SNAP** filled the area of the church. Lily arched her back, her mouth wide open but nothing came out. She had felt the man put all his pressure into a jab with the foot on her leg, breaking it with little effort. Her ears rang as she finally found it in her to scream. The gut wrenching wail was the last of her energy she had in her. In the distance, she heard rapid fire and the screams and grunts of struggle as she slipped into unconsciousness.


	8. Proinsias

There was a steady sound. It was almost therapeutic, at first. Until she realized what it was. Lily opened her eyes as they adjusted to the florescent lighting. She turned to see the heart monitor and vital monitor at her side. Squinting, she sat up, before gasping, realizing how much pain she was in - she was unable to stifle the short scream that escaped her. Like a light switch, she felt the intense amount of pain she was in as she collapsed backwards again, groaning in agony. The sound of the curtains running against a pole caught her attention. She glanced down to see a nurse walk up to her. "You're awake!" She said.

Lily was grasping onto her ribs, "What happened?" Her voice was hoarse, "Where's-?" Lily pictured the last sight of Cassidy she'd had - and it sent a shiver through her. The nurse raised her eyebrows, "Where's..?" The nurse asked curiously. Lily sighed in frustration, "What happened?" She repeated, glancing at all the equipment and furnished surroundings which were all so noticeably dated it was almost like going back in time.

The nurse shook her head, "You showed up outside the door of the ER early this morning, unconscious." The nurse's eyes were wide, "Do you remember anythin'?"

Lily suddenly remembered it all. She swallowed, her throat in awful pain as she raised a hand to feel her bruises around her neck. "M'am?" The nurse asked. Lily looked up to her, "No," Lily lied, "No. I don't remember anything." The nurse patted her arm, "You just rest up, let us know if anythin' comes to ya, OK?" Lily nodded, too in pain to ask any more questions and too afraid to want to. The nurse walked over to her IV drip, "We're going to switch you over to a higher dose of morphine." After only a few minutes, a sheriff and an officer walked in.

"Afternoon," The sheriff said. Lily winced as she tried to clear her throat, "Afternoon?" She said flatly, remembering the entire scenario had happened before the sun had even come up. "How long have I been in here?" She asked. The sheriff read her chart, "Admitted 6:25AM.." He read, "You've been here for just 8 hours." Lily would have loved to take a deep breath if her ribs would've allowed it.

"Custer," The sheriff read off his notepad, "Any relation to Preacher Custer?"

She didn't move, "My brother." She said shortly. The sheriff widened his eyes towards the officer at his side, "Hm," He said, "I had no idea he had a sister." Lily pressed her lips together and raised her eyebrows as much as she could. "I'm just here to ask ya a few questions, and then we'll leave ya alone," He said, notepad in hand, "Can you tell us anythin' about what happened to you?" He asked.

Lily had a lump in her throat. She didn't want to think about it let alone talk about it, "It's all a blur, I don't remember much." She said.

"What's your last recollection?" The Sheriff asked.

She closed her eyes, her face tensing as the image of Cassidy's insane eyes flashed. She shook her head and sighed, "I don't know." She lied. Something told her to keep her mouth shut, or else she might end up in a psych ward. The sheriff pressed his lips together and nodded, taking a sharp inhale before raising his chin to her, "Well whatever happened to you, it wasn't an animal attack. The bruises around your neck and ankles confirm hand prints." He explained.

Opening her eyes, she stared at the sheriff with as much sympathy as she could, "I'm sorry. I can't tell you anything." She said honestly. The sheriff shook his head, "You've been through a lot. In a lot of shock, hopefully more might come to you as you get some rest," He said, "Let us know if you can think of anything else that might help us catch whatever monster it was that did this to you."

She pressed a forced smile together, as if she was thankful for their efforts, before they left. Lily turned her head to the window, the sun beaming into the dingy hospital room. Rocking her head back slowly, she tried her hardest to sleep again. Despite her eyes being heavy, her mind kept her awake - unable to rest. The image of Cassidy's wet scarlet face and crazy eyes burned in her memory. The sound of him slurping from the gaping wound in the mans neck haunting her, hearing it so clearly it was as if it was happening right beside her all over again.

She felt as if she hadn't slept at all, but to her surprise when she opened her eyes again, she was shocked to see that the window in her room was dark. Unbelievably, she had slept through the rest of the day, yet didn't feel that she had rested a wink.

Lily grasped the arm of her bed, struggling to sit up, and to press the button to call the nurse.

"Everything alright?" The nurse asked upon arriving.

"When I can expect to be out of here?" She asked, her throat incredibly dry. The nurse's face looked very sympathetic and unconvincing as she stared at the clipboard of papers at the foot of the hospital bed. "Right now!" Another voice chimed in. Lily's stomach dropped as she had recognized it immediately. The nurse turned around, watching as Cassidy swept the curtains aside and made his swift way to the side of Lily's bed, "Um, excuse m-" The nurse began, but was quickly interrupted.

Above his sunglasses, his brows were furrowed, "I'm so relieved you're alright," He said with short breath, clenching onto his chest dramatically, "Soon as I heard y'were in 'ere I came right back," He turned to the nurse, "Was on m'way to Houston," He explained to the nurse, "Turned right 'round soon as I got news." He looked back to Lily who's eyes were glued at his hands on her arm, unable to bring herself to look at him in the face. She wasn't sure if her body was in so much pain that his light touch was hot, or whether he was burning up.

"Excuse me," The nurse said sternly, "You are?"

"I'm 'er husband." He claimed.

Lily's body flinched on it's own as she shot her eyes up to the nurse.

"M'am," The nurse asked, "M'am." Lily blinked. "Is this your husband?" The nurse asked. Lily's brain was scattered and she looked like an absolute wreck. Should she have confessed everything to the sheriff? At least she would have been _safe_ in a psych ward... maybe it wasn't too late. "M'am." The nurse repeated again, sternly.

"Yes." She finally choked out, "Yes, it is." She tried again more convincingly.

"So we can get out of 'ere then?" Cassidy asked, "Wouldn't mind gettin' 'er to Houston, no offense." He glanced at all the outdated surroundings. The nurse side eyed Cassidy suspiciously, looking down at the clipboard in her arms, "Well, I would recommend stayin' here much longer, but since you're stable, that call is technically up to you.." The nurse shook her head, clearly against the idea, "If you _do_ choose to leave to Houston," She continued, "You need to get her there as soon as possible," Her eyes were concerned, staring into Lily's, "We will send the report and paper work we've done over to Houston. You need scans done and you need to get that leg into a proper hard cast." She said, scribbling on the paper, "You don't currently have any internal bleeding, but you need to go for a check up in a couple of days."

"Get 'er to Houston right away," Cassidy insisted, pursing his lips and nodding, "We'll go fer all the check ups." Lily's stomach was twisted. The nurse side eyed him again, walking towards Lily with a small cap of two pills, "You can have two of these a day."

"What is it?" Cassidy asked curiously, perking up a bit. The nurse scribbled against the clip board, "Tramadol." Lily threw back the pain killers with some water, choking them down painfully. "Ahh," Lily winced, grabbing her throat. Cassidy's brow furrowed as she watched her struggle.

"I'll be right back." The nurse said, walking out.

There was a lump so big in Lily's throat, she couldn't even talk if she wanted to. Watching the nurse leave, her heart dropped, nervous to be alone with Cassidy. Even though she wasn't able to look at him, he didn't waste any time. He wrapped his arms around her back and under her knees as she winced loudly at his touch.

"Ok. Ok. Jus' need t'get y'in 'ere." He said softly, picking her up off the bed and placing her into a wheelchair she hadn't even noticed at his side, "That's it." He assured. She closed her eyes and the pressure released as she sat into the chair, breathing a choppy exhale. She stared down to her hospital robe, her cheeks getting hot at the thought of her appearance. Her hair was a mess, she clawed her fingers through her hair, her ribs in pain as she reached up to her head to tied her hair into a big knot.

She looked at the doors of the hospital getting closer, wondering what her fate was on the other side of them.

"Excuse me, sir." The nurse yelled. Cassidy turned around to the nurse.

"You can't just _leave_ ," She scoffed, in a more-than-annoyed tone, "You need to sign the release papers."

"O'course," Cassidy said, grabbing the clipboard. Lily listened to the drag of the pen across it behind her. "So, does she get anymore of those painkillers, then?" Cassidy asked curiously as he reached the clipboard over her shoulder. Lily stared down at the papers, the voices of the nurse and Cassidy blurring to the back of her head as she focused on the report, then at the bottom his signature.

 _Proinsias Cassidy_

She zoned out on his name a moment.

"M'am," The nurse said, grabbing her shoulder and pulling her out of her thought. "Yes?" Lily asked dazed, "Oh." She stared back down to the papers signing her name below Cassidy's.

 _Lillian Custer_

She hesitated only for a moment before adding

 _-Cassidy_

at the end of her last name, a bad taste in her mouth, but covering the tracks. His tracks. He was the one who came up with the stupid lie of him being her husband. She passed the clipboard to the nurse at her side, taking a deep breath.

"Your billing will be sent to the address from your drivers license," She said, handing Cassidy a bag that held her belongings inside of it, including her drivers license, "I would imagine the sheriff's department report will follow as well."

When they walked outside, it was dark. He stopped pushing her at the side of the van, opening the door as she pushed herself up. He wrapped his arm around her to which she squirmed, "I can-"

She was lifted off her feet, as he completely ignored her, placing her into the passenger seat and even doing her seat belt for her. Regardless of how close to her he was, she still couldn't find it in her to look at him, her eyes finding anything else to stare at. The ride was quiet. She was too afraid to ask where they were going. Lily gazed out the window to the darkness as Cassidy drove, not saying anything himself.

Eventually they got to a motel, the Sundowner. She didn't question anything, she didn't have it in her. He helped her in, her arm around his shoulders, as it was better to keep her broken leg straight. The door behind them to the room closed. This was it. If he was going to kill her it would be now. There was no easier prey than her, he wouldn't even have to put up a fight should he decide to slaughter her.

Her heart raced.

She was about to die in a dingy motel room.


	9. Never Do

"Where'd'ya wanna go?" Cassidy asked, to her surprise. He held her close to him, helping her move. She held her breath and her eyebrows scrunched in confusion. "What?" She choked out. He felt her heart racing at an alarming rate. Just wanting her to relax, he sighed, "Where d'ya'want me to put ye?" He asked again, "On th'bed? Onna chair?.."

She shifted her eyes. "The bath." Her hoarse voice requested. To her shock, he brought her there, placing her on the side of the tub and running the bath tap. He marched out of the room. Lily zoned out at the water pouring into the tub, then gazed down to her hospital gown. The bruises on her arms only gave an idea of what she looked like underneath the dreadful robe. She had just about peaked under when she heard him pacing quickly back in. His arms were full of clothing and towels.

" 'Ere," He said, throwing the towels beside the tub and the clothes on the counter.

"Did y'want me t'help?" He asked. She shook her head, staring at his feet. "Alright," He huffed, "I'll be right outside. Holler if y'need anythin'.." He walked out of the bathroom and left the door open a crack.

Maybe she wasn't going to die after all. At least at this moment.

She clenched her jaw, getting up slowly and hobbling towards the door, pushing it closed and locking the handle. She turned to the mirror, looking at the stranger that blankly stared back. The black circles her eyes were sunk into, the bruises scattered across her arms and face.

Reaching behind her neck, then down to her back, she untied her robe and let it drop to the floor. Her ribs were black, blue and purple. She swallowed as she traced her hands across her skin, the faintest touch inflicting pain. The task of having a bath and clothing herself was nothing short of a challenge. She wasn't sure if the sight or the pain of her body was making her more sick to her stomach.

Cassidy would frequently knock on the door and ask if she was alright, to which she would reply with a short "Mhm", Listening until she heard him finally walk away from the door. After a long while, the water in her bath got cold. She used her good leg to get out, keeping her injured one as straight as possible at all times was difficult. She hobbled out of the tub. The pain draining her more every second.

She hardly dried herself as she decided to tackle putting on her clothes, where she only wondered a little bit where Cassidy had managed to find them. They were a much better option than the hospital robe, so she wasn't complaining. She grabbed a tank top, wincing and whimpering as she struggled to wiggle it on. Cassidy knocked on the door again, "Let me help ye-" He whined softly, jiggling the doorknob. She sniffled, clenching her voice so he wouldn't hear her struggle, "It's fine." She lied. Little did she know he could hear everything regardless and he wasn't buying her sad attempt to hide how stubborn she was being.

When she got her tank top on, she grabbed a flannel long sleeve Cassidy had somehow come up with, wanting to cover up as much of herself as she could. She exhaled shakily, as her ribs made it nearly impossible to raise her arms completely.

The struggle to get her underwear on was enough to know that the pants would not be anything short of a nightmare. She grabbed the pair of dark denim jeans. Gripping them in her hand as her lip quivered. She glanced up to the ceiling, feeling hot tears stream down. It was hard enough to breathe, she knew crying wouldn't feel any better.

In defeat, she exhaled slowly, hanging her head before she pushed her drenched hair back off her face and opened the bathroom door to find Cassidy directly behind it, leaning against the door frame. He pushed off it, walking toward her as she leaned back, her hands on the counter keeping her balance on the one foot. Staring down to the floor, she bit her lip sheepishly.

He looked at her, grabbing her shoulders, "What can I do?" He asked, feeling her pulse speed up again at his closeness, "Jus' tell me." She exhaled, handing him the pants, still without looking at him. Without hesitation, he grabbed her hips, lifting her up and sitting her up on the counter. He carefully took her broken leg to extend out and sit on the top of the toilet. Her other leg stayed bent, resting on the closed seat of the toilet. He felt her quivering, his heart dropping more each second.

She looked at the row of stitches on her leg as Cassidy grabbed some tensor bandage, wrapping it around. She watched quietly as he wrapped it, every time she felt his eyes on her face she kept them glued to anything else but his.

He grabbed the pants, "Y'don't have t'put these on y'know." He said lowly. She shook her head, "I want them on." Her voice cracked. Cassidy sighed and nodded, as he started with her broken leg, gently and slowly pulling them higher. She closed her eyes and scrunched her face, holding her breath. Regardless of him giving off the soft and gentle demeanor as he was, her heart rate had not relaxed.

"Y'ok?" He asked. She nodded, her lips pressed tight and her eyes closed, she clenched her voice, "Just do it." She tried to be completely silent. Exhaling deeply every now and then, throwing her head back and hitting her fist against Cassidy's back.

He had done a fairly quick job being as gentle as possible, and gave her no time to argue right after as he wrapped his arm underneath hers and lifted her up to stand on her good leg, pulling the jeans up to her hips. Cassidy helped her out of the bathroom, onto the bed where she sat at the end of. He pulled up a chair for her to prop her leg up on as he carefully lifted it.

Her back and shoulders were damp from her hair that was still drenched, since she couldn't properly dry it. She sat as straight as she could.

"I know y'must have a lot of questions," He said leaning back into the chair with his arms out, "N'I'll answer 'em all." He assured, "But first, I jus' wanna remind y'that I told y'not t'come down from the attic, fer a damn good reason obviously... but y'were too bold fer yer own good." He said impenitently.

She didn't move any part of her or her glance away from his boots on the ground. "Go ahead, then." He said, "Ask me whatever it is that's'on yer mind." She blinked to the ground. The silence in the room was so uncomfortable, it made it easier for her to speak, "Are you going to kill me?" She asked bluntly. He leaned forward, hearing her heart racing even from the few feet away he was. He peaked his eyes at hers, "Not unless y'try n'kill me." He dragged from his cigarette. She shook her head softly, "I'm not." She said.

He grinned, "Good." Cassidy sat back again, "I know it's hard t'believe after wot went down, but I'm _not_ a psychopath." He insisted, holding a hand out. Swallowing a lump in her throat she nodded once slowly, remembering the scene in the church. All the blood and all the mangled bodies. Cassidy continued, "I don't jus' run around killin' people.. Usually."

Lily stared at him as she continued to remember Cassidy pretty much massacring the men in the church, "Who were they?" She asked, her throat groggy as she tried to clear it.

"Don't know 'em personally," He started, "Never do." There was a pause as he sparked a cigarette.

"Vampire vigilantes, most likely." He scoffed, confirming her assumption. She couldn't help the small jolt that went through her body as she stared at his eyes, hid behind his shades, a new pair at that. Lily lost the little breath she had. He nodded as her expected shock, dragging from his cigarette, "I told you I was a vampire." He said softly, "But y'didn't take it seriously, obviously." There was a small smile on his lips. If she had enough in her, she would have imagined a rush of adrenaline at this moment, but her body proved to be too exhausted.

"I only indulge in blood if I need t'heal. Again, usually. Hmph." He raised his shoulders as he chuckled. She wasn't sure how to take his tone. It was nonchalant and nonthreatening, yet she still felt uneasy. She sat quiet and still.

He leaned forward again, "Regardless o'tha fact y'didn't listen to my very simple instructions..." He pointed at her sternly, pausing for a moment before dropping his hand again, "I really don't like that yer in the place y'are now. N'fer that I'm sorry." The sincerity in his words a surprising clash against his just unapologetic demeanor he'd opened the conversation with. Lily wasn't exactly sure what kind of danger she was in or if she was in any at all, but his soft tone didn't fade, "Truly. I am." He stated.

All she could do was try and swallow what little spit she had gathered in her dry mouth. Cassidy exhaled, leaning back and rubbing his hands down his legs, "Now that it's all out on the table, you'll know to listen to my words very carefully, I'm not pissin' around, alright?" He said, to which she just nodded. "Alright," He said, slapping his hands on his lap, "Let's get ye t'Houston, then." He stood up. "Wait," She said. He turned back to her, "Wot?"

She let out a choppy breath, "Can we just wait here a little longer?" She asked, knowing she need a lot of medical attention, but not wanting to move just yet. She closed her eyes as she swayed a bit, still sitting up, "Just five more minutes." She whispered.

To his relief, he was beginning to notice her heart rate calm. He pursed his lips, "Alright, then." He began walking to the table in the corner of the room and put out his cigarette in the ashtray, grabbing the bottle of whiskey that had been sitting there. She watched as he took a swig, as he walked behind her. He moved all the pillows and bedding from the head of the bed to behind her, tucking it around her, as she slowly lounged against it.

Making himself comfortable at her side on the bed, he drank from the bottle.

Coming to terms she wasn't about to die right now, her mind switched gears to something that suddenly mattered much more again. "My bag." She stated, grabbing her wrist. Her bangle that held the key for her bag was missing, "My key... my phone, where is all of it?"

He laughed hard, nearly in tears, scaring her to open her eyes, "Outta everythin' that oughta be on yer mind, _that's_ wot you ask?" He asked. She looked up at him with concern. He shook his head, "You're damn unbelievable."

Cassidy stood back up, walking out the door. When he came back in, he had her bag and phone in hand. He rolled the bag in between them, and handed her the phone. She grabbed it from his hand, the screen missing pieces out of it, "The battery's dead on that thing," He said, "Found it on the floor of the church."

Lily stared up to him as he sat back down on the seat in front of her, "My key?" She asked again. He took a swig from the bottle, raising a brow, "Wot key?" She shook her head, grabbing her wrist again, "It was on a bangle, around my wrist." That bracelet was pretty much impossible to get off her wrist. The only way was to cut it off. "Where is it?" She asked.

He shook his head, "I dunno," He watched her brow furrow as she choked down a lump in her throat, "Sorry." He said, "I'm sure I can gettit open, anyway." She shook her head against the pillows it rested on and breathed in as much as she could before it hurt too bad, "No. I'm sure you can't." She moved her eyes down at the suitcase between them, her face defeated.

He puffed from his cigarette, leaning forward as she finally pulled her eyes back to him. Lily blinked, her face flat and her mental state moving too fast for her psychical, "Can I ask you something?" She asked.

He opened his arms, waving his hands in encouragement.

"Can I have some?" She asked. He raised one brow in confusion, "Some wot?"

"Some whiskey." She specified. He lowered his head, peaking his eyes to hers and narrowing both of his brows, "Are y'fokin' around right now?"

"No." She shook her head, "No I'm not."


	10. A Deadly Combination

Cassidy didn't think twice about standing out of the seat and leaning the bottle into her hands. She took a swig, wincing from the burn of it going down her throat. When she coughed, she shook her head. Cassidy cackled. There was something about a lightweight choking back hard alcohol that would always make him laugh. Lily held the bottle back out to him, wiping her mouth with her arm. He grabbed it back from her and couldn't hide his wide grin if he wanted to.

He noticed her heart beat still above normal, but noticeably lessening in pace towards a more average level.

She glanced once to her bag before staring back up to him, "You need blood to survive then?" She asked.

He shook his head, "Not really. Well. Kind of," He rocked his head side to side, "Like I said, for healing, mostly, other than that, I don't go outta my way fer it." His grin had faded and voice trailed off as he took a swig out of the bottle. She nodded, closing her eyes as her face twisted at the thought. "Hm." She said shortly, holding her hand out for him to pass the bottle back, which he did. He couldn't help but smirk.

With her eyes still closed, she asked, "So all the myths... are they true?" "Hmph!" He chuckled, "No, not really." He smiled again. She turned her head, "So you can't be killed with a stake... or a cross, or holy water or _anything_?" Lily asked remarkably.

He chuckled again, amused, "No." She raised her brows and he pressed his lips together, leaning his head to the side, "The only thing stoppin' me is the bloody day."

She finished another swig and shook her head, "What?"

He sighed, "The damn sun."

"You can't be in the daylight?" She asked, sliding the bottle over her lap for him to grab.

He leaned forward, "Nope." He said. He looked up at her as he reached for the bottle, "As soon as I had dealt with those bastards I took y'straight t'the hospital, hardly beat the sun rise. Left y'on the front step o'the hospital n'watched them grab you inna coupla minutes of me leavin' y'there. Have t'cover myself from the sun real good, otherwise things go real arseways. Look like a bloody fool half the time."

He placed his elbows on his knees and leaned closer to her, his voice a soft rasp, "That's why I couldn't come to the hospital sooner. Knew they'd never let ye leave with me lookin' like a complete psychopath." She stared at him with vulnerable eyes, seeing the very tops of his. They were cloudy and almost glazed over. He didn't move, "But as soon as the sun went down I went straight there t'get yew the Hell outta that shite excuse of a hospital."

His mouth was straight, the sincerity in his voice was no mistake genuine. She closed her eyes and cleared her throat to cut the edge in the air, "So," She took the deepest breath she could with her injuries, "What kind of superpowers do you have?" Cassidy laughed at her, sitting up and leaning back in the chair he was in, " _Superpowers_." He repeated, nodding as he picked at the bottle label, "I wouldn't call them _superpowers_ , like, but I guess there's the odd perk."

"Like being able to heal after being blown up by a shotgun." Lily stated. Cassidy nodded, "Yep." He raised the bottle to his lips and she watched the bottle's level of liquid recede a good amount, "And being able to drink enough to kill an average person-" He hummed, the bottle still in his mouth as he held a finger out. Rele

"That's less of a perk and more of a dent in the wallet, major expense, like."

"Hm," She raised her head a little bit, "Right." At this point, she was convinced she was making light of the situation to make her feel less shaken up about the whole thing as she lay there pretty well helpless, she caught herself having a hard time keeping her eyes open, "I can only imagine what Jesse did when he found out about you. Being the way he is right now." She said, a cold remark in a somewhat warm moment.

He pursed his lips and sat straight up again slowly. When he hung his head and continued picking at the bottle label in his hands, she furrowed her brow, "Jesse knows... right?" She asked as if it would be crazy if he didn't. Cassidy raised his head back up to her, "Well, it's not like I haven't tried. I have tried to tell 'im. _Many_ times." He whined.

Her head was spinning more. It was going to be hard enough to convince Jesse to leave, let alone being in the middle of this shit storm. She leaned forwards grabbing the bottle from him again, "Jesus, Cassidy." She took another swig. "Hm," She hummed, swallowing the burning liquid in her mouth, "That's not really even your name, is it?" She recalled his signature at the hospital.

He nodded, "It is. Well..." He swayed his head side to side, "Cassidy's my last name I suppose, but Proinsias doesn't really fit well with the times, now, does it?" He mused, watching as she downed another gulp out of the bottle.

" _The times_ ," She repeated with her voice tight. She scoffed, pulling her head back as she rubbed her face with her hand, "Oh God." She groaned, "How old _are_ you, like, a thousand?"

Cassidy laughed, "A hundred and nineteen." He said, thankful to see hear her heart rate the most normal it had been in hours.

She took a larger swig with nothing to say. It was getting easier to drink, easier to ask questions. She leaned further back into the lounge of blankets and pillows he had so kindly stacked behind her, cradling the bottle in her arms, "How long have you been.." She trailed off.

"A vampire?" He finished. She nodded, it felt too ridiculous to even say it out loud. He sighed, "Since I was a teen."

"Hm," She hummed, "Wow." Her words were beginning to merge together more. "So," She continued, her eyes heavy, "My brother doesn't know." She stated, trying to remember all the information she was being fed.

"He wouldn't listen," Cassidy whined defensively, "I tried."

She smiled, "Hmph." Her eyes stayed closed and her mind was suddenly much more groggy than the light and fluffy it had just seemed. "For the best," She mumbled, "He'd lose-it... fu-ur sure..." Her voice was dwindling off.

Cassidy frowned, crossing his arms and staring at her melting into the linens behind her, the bottle in her arms. "No, I shan't," He groaned, "He wouldn't do that t'me. He's my best frien- I saved his life fer cryin' out loud!" He said enthusiastically. "Ya," She mumbled, "I know." She inhaled deep as she could, "You've mentioned that." Cassidy straightened his mouth, "Wot's with yew, then? Comin' 'ere for yer brother, with little explanation other than y'thought somethin' bad was gonna happen to 'im."

"Issnthat enough?" She asked, he was watching her slouch farther back each second. "Well, ya," Cassidy said, "But how'd ye know _exactly_ where he was then?.. If yew two haven't talked in a coupla years?"

Lily swallowed, "I saw him die, at least... I thought. I saw it wassa church. Knew there wassonly one it couldbe."

"Cause yew remember bein' 'ere as a kid, or wot?" Cassidy prodded, leaning closer and arching a brow as he leaned closer. "hmph.." Lily laughed once feebly, "No. I was too young to 'member hardly anything about this place." Cassidy bit his tongue, "So yew don't have the same desire to live to yer father's path like Jess does, then?"

Lily stared at him for a moment, blinking slowly, "That's what he said?" He brow furrowed, "Hm." She thought on that a moment, "Didn't know him. Died when I wassa newborn. No memory of him. Jesse doesn't talk about our parents much... ever, really..." Cassidy bobbed his head, "Hm." He said simply, his eyes flickering around as he thought about her words. His eyes moved back to her and he watched as Lily nursed the last of the bottle, "Yew n'Jess may not have that sense of livin' t'yer fathers name in common, but what yew do have in common, is this... _thing_ about yew two _._."

Her face scrunched, "A _thing_?"

"Yea, it's quite annoyin', actually. The two o'yew... there's this quality about ye y'share. I see it the same in 'im as same as I do in you. It's like there's a switch that needs t'be flicked..." He snapped his fingers, "There's so much more than y'two can do then live the borin' lives of a preacher n'an goodie-goodie business professional or whatever the Hell it is yew do."

She found it in her to open her eyes just enough to glare at him, "I'm not boring." Cassidy laughed. "I'm not." She closed her eyes again, "Or a goodie goodie" She said slowly, and unconvincingly, since moving at all proved to be impossible and putting out words was becoming a challenge itself. She was talking much slower and far less enthusiastic, "I know my _brother_ is." She sighed, "He needs to get out of here and snap the Hell out of whatever this is, I know that." She took a slow breath, "But me?" She breathed, "I'm not boring. I'm organized. Sorry you don't know the difference, Cassidy."

"Ooh," Cassidy said, scrunching his face with a smile, "That hurts." He teased, as if he gave a shit. Her eyes were still closed and he wondered how someone so petite could look so heavy, "Besides," She mumbled, "I'm wasted drunk... alone with a vampire right now... doesn't seem so boring to me." He cackled, watching her faintly smile with her eyes still shut.

Cassidy nodded slowly, "Well," He sighed, "The two of yew, yer brother and yew, need t'get over the spilled milk o'the past and move on, already, Christ." He said, "Not many people are lucky enough t'ave a sibling to share their lives with." She didn't say anything, but he was fine with that, relieved that she seemed much more at ease. He didn't want to disturb her, but he knew she needed to get to Houston.

"Hopefully yer drunk will wear off before we check ye in t'the Hospital in Hou-" He stopped, the bag of meds from the hospital catching his eye from across the room.

A sudden realization hit him like a train. His eyes shot to the empty bottle cradled in her arms. He had indulged a lot himself, sure, but she had more than her fair share. He'd entirely disregarded the fact he'd given her the painkillers less than an hour ago, not to mention the dose she must have received at the hospital, and suddenly, he realized why she was so relaxed.

Her heart rate was no longer normal, it was becoming fainter, struggling, almost.

Strong opium mixed with hard alcohol was the recipe of a start to an average good night for him, but to her, it was a deadly combination.


	11. Worth a Shot

Cassidy reacted quickly, grabbing her limp body and shaking her shoulders. He pressed his fingers against her neck, finally finding her pulse, noticeably lagging. There was no possible way he could bring her back to the hospital in this condition. He had signed her out himself.

He was going to admit her back in, closer to death than before?

No.

They would go after him, he would have to run, and that wasn't an option. He was sick of running.

She may have a chance if he headed to Houston with if she was in good health, but obviously that wasn't the case. It wasn't likely she would make it all the way to Houston. It wasn't a risk he was going to take.

"Hey, hey, hey." He shook her, "Lily." He pleaded to her limp body. Cassidy took a deep breath, all of this feeling a bit too familiar.

Cassidy did the only thing that seemed logical, to him at least. He ran to the washroom, grabbing a small glass that sat by the sink, ripping off the motel's paper top cover and filling it about quarter way with tap water. Cassidy quickly ran his teeth against his palm, drawing blood. He held his hand above the glass of water, letting only two drops of his blood to drip into the glass below.

By the time he had reached Lily, his wound on his hand had already sealed shut, and his two drops of blood made the water go dark maroon. He twisted his face at the glass, "Worth a shot." He grumbled.

She moved her head, a good sign. "Wha?" She groaned.

Cassidy cleared his throat, sitting at her side, "I said, have a shot!" He wrapped an arm around her back and leaned her up, catching her head as it rocked back.

"Here," He coaxed, raising the glass. Her eyes remained closed as she swatted lazily, "I don't... I... don't..." He narrowed his brows, "Jus' one more." Not that she could put up any kind of fight, but he needed her to at least be able to consume it. But her lips touched the laced liquid, it was clear that wasn't something to worry about. She downed it with enthusiasm.

At the touch of her lips, the liquid made her aware of every taste bud in her mouth as it made it's way down her throat like liquid silk.

In the blink of an eye, she finished the glass. She sat up right, without Cassidy's need to cradle, and breathed in deep. Something made her mouth water even more than it already was. Closing her eyes, she focused on the smell. She took in the earthy essence of the wood that made the walls around them, as if it was freshly cut. But, it was not the scent she was looking for.

She knew right away it wasn't cigarette ashes sitting in the tray across the room, and thankfully, she quickly noticed a different smell, much stronger because it was much closer. She tilted her head to the side, finding herself closer to the aroma, the _one_ she was looking for.

Her mouth watered more as she took it in. It was the same mouth-watering sensation that something delicious would give. It was rich, like dark chocolate and red wine. She couldn't place what it was, she took a deep breath in with an open mouth, hoping to taste it.

"Lily.." Cassidy said cautiously, grabbing her shoulders. She opened her eyes in a shock, pulled out of the trance. Her nose was practically against Cassidy's chest. She sat up and leaned away from him, staring her wide eyes at the tops of his, "Cassidy?" She said articulate as ever, "What _is_ that?" She asked. Her mind was so clear, all that held her attention was the current moment.

"Wot's wot?" Cassidy asked with an arched brow.

"That smell, that.." She breathed in again, taking in the euphoric fragrance, she swallowed, afraid the excess saliva would escape her mouth if she didn't, "Smell." She repeated with a heavy exhale that was almost a moan.

"Are ye... alright?" Cassidy asked slowly. She didn't waver her stare at him, her brow furrowing, "I feel fine." She said.

He pulled off his shades, and she almost already pictured his crazy eyes - but it wasn't the insane eyes that had been haunting her since she last saw them. His ghastly eyes were cold, but they were soft. Without hesitation, she followed a push that was impossible to refrain from and closed the distance between them, locking her lips with his.

Lily moaned instantly, realizing she had found what she was looking for, except now she wasn't just smelling it, she was tasting it. She pulled herself in closer to him, her mind that was just so clear was completely hazed again. Lily pulled herself around him, straddling him as she kept her lips busy against his. Cassidy was quick to requite her actions, wrapping his arms around her waist.

He trailed his hands around her curves, down her waist to her hips. Cassidy was entirely enthused by the situation, his mind hazed in it's own way, until something hit him. He opened his eyes to glance down at her legs. On either side of him, they were bent. More alarmingly, her broken one. He pushed her mouth away from his, their lips struggling to release from each other. She was like a magnet, as she tried desperately to connect again.

"Wait. Wait!" He said quickly, muffled against her lips. He tried to pry her away, "Listen t'm-" She was completely entwined with him, making it hard to get her away, but not impossible. In an instant Cassidy knew he could push her off with minimal effort - but it wasn't physical strength he was lacking against her - it was entirely mental. Proving the point, she pushed her hips against his lap, to which he moaned.

He couldn't help but give in and reciprocate again. His hands were quickly scouring her again, his lips were as keen as hers were. She pushed with all of her strength, which proved to be a good amount, to try and lay him down on the bed behind him, but he was easily able to resist. He groaned, leaning against her push and sitting straight upright, wishing he didn't have to oppose. He was too concerned about the fact she seemed unbothered by the insane amount of pain she was just in, and above that, this was Jesse's little sister straddling him. Cassidy couldn't imagine what Jesse would think if he knew that within a day of meeting his sister Cassidy had already found his way between her legs.

"Lily," He rasped against her neck, not catching her attention at all, " _Lily_." He said more sternly. The more he pushed her away, the harder she clung onto him. Even though his mouth wasn't on hers, she kept hers busy. "Look. Lily." He practically begged. She kissed the side of his face up to his ear, pushing harder against his groin, "Cassidy..." She whined.

He groaned as he rolled his head back, looking up as if to curse God, the bastard, for this cruel form of torture. The last piece of clear mind was quickly escaping him, one more move like that from her and she would have his little bit of conscious he had silenced, and him doing anything she told him to do. Inside Cassidy was a disaster of emotions, he found what was the last inch of clarity in his mind. He sure as Hell didn't want to, but he had to stop her. Gripping onto her shoulders he groaned again, "Lily!" He nearly shouted. He threw her to his side off of him as she collapsed on the bed, he had used enough of his strength, careful not to hurt her, although he wasn't sure if he even could at this point.

Cassidy pushed himself off the mattress, snagging his sunglasses from the ledge of the mattress and threw them on his face. He stood facing her at the end of the bed, "Listen to me!" She sat up straight almost immediately, looking at him. Her skin wasn't as pale as it just was. It was already flush, and her chest moved fast as she attempted to catch her breath. He stared at her in an unfamiliar stupor, one he'd never seen in anyone. "Look." Cassidy pointed sternly, while he had what little attention he was going to get. "Yer bendin' yer leg. Yer _broken_ leg." He specified.

She realized how right he was, her eyes flickered from him to her leg bent underneath her. "Hm." She hummed, each second away from him making her head clearer. "Doesn't that _hurt_?!" He asked remarkably.

Lily looked back to him and shook her head, "No." In fact, nothing hurt. Normally, she would be in a panic. But instead, she didn't seem phased at all.

"Cassidy," She practically sang, scooting closer towards him until she was at the edge of the bed, standing on her knees. He stepped further back, his self control surprising himself, even. Cassidy sighed, running a hand through his hair, "We gotta go." He mumbled. Lily's entire body sank. "I don't know wot I was thinkin," Cassidy began ranting, gathering their few items around the room, "Givin' y'all that whiskey.." As he babbled, she drowned out his words. Her eyes moved from him to her leg. She should've been listening to his concern, but she wasn't phased. All she was focused on was the intense burn inside of her, how open and busy her mind was and how insanely balanced she felt. Finally, she was pulled out of her inner trance as he stood in front of her, "C'mon!" He said urgently, "We gotta go!"

He watched her eyes move up to him as she sat still on the bed, her head slowly lifting up and a streak in her eyes that looked almost malicious. With her eyes low, she arched her brow at him, her voice had an unusual bite, "And you said _I_ was boring." She didn't need to see past the barrier of his sunglasses to feel his eyes burning into her.

Just as she had hoped, it got a rise out of him and in an instant, he had lunged at her, pushing her onto her back. A gasp escaped her unwillingly as she fell back against the mattress. She stared up at him as he towered over top of her.

"I'm a lot o'things, love. But I ain't borin'."

She watched the blur of his head diving to her chest, taking the fabric in his mouth as he hardly grated his teeth against the shirt. He pulled back up, ripping her shirt down the middle. She clawed up at him, grabbing his shirt and yanking it up towards his head, so desperately wishing she could just as easily tear off his like he just had hers. He pulled back, in one motion letting his shirt slide over his head as he and went for the button of her jeans. He ripped the button, standing up at the floor of the end of the bed and pulling them off of her while simultaneously pulling her closer until her legs were wrapped around his waist.

He stared at her body. The scattered color of bruises pulled Cassidy out of the moment, "Are y'sure y'feel ok?" He asked, a bit disturbed, "Y'don't look-" She was quick to bring him back into the moment as she used her legs that were wrapped around his waist as she pulled herself up around him.

She straddled his hips as he ran his hands up her back, and his surprise, the bra wasn't even done up, "Was this your plan all along?" He mused before she pressed her lips back against his. He caressed her arms as she pulled them out of the tank top and bra straps through her arms, leaving only the flannel draped over her shoulders. She pried at the waist of his pants with her feet, pushing them down as much as she could, to which he gladly helped.

It was a crazy blur, a fast paced escapade that felt no moment of wrong. He could hardly keep up with her, and that was saying something. It all finally lead to a heavy peak, and at the second it ended - lead to complete exhaustion. He felt her go completely limp as he watched her dead weight hit the mattress at his side.

"Hey," He said, quickly sitting up to lean over top of her, grabbing her shoulders and pulling her up. Her head fell back. He felt her chest as her racing heart slowly began normalizing, realizing she had just passed out.

Cassidy lowered her back down, "Thatssa first..."


	12. Something Worse

_Hi Fanfiction! I know I'm not one to write blurbs before chapters but I really need to say thanks for all the positive feedback. The most recent review from a guest account says, "_ WOULD YOU FUCKING UPDATE. I NEED THE LASSIDY UP IN THIS BITCH _."_

 _I laughed out loud, leading to the motivation to upload this chapter asap._

 _Did you all see the season 2 preview? I thought it was awesome! What did you think?_

* * *

The panic was a major delay, but it finally happened.

When she woke up, it was a rude awakening. Her eyes shot open, she felt the heat beside her as she immediately recognized Cassidy laying at her side, his one arm was above his head as the other hung over the edge of the bed on the other side. His snore was consistent, and she felt her body vibrate with shock as she noticed herself in complete nakedness.

She carefully and quietly slinked out of the bed, running to grab any kind of clothing she could find laying on the ground before dashing to the washroom. Turning the knob to the washroom as she closed it, careful to not make much noise, she turned on the light. The florescent bulb was too much as she quickly turned it back off.

In the dark, she could still see her reflection in the mirror. Her skin bared no bruises, no cuts, not even a blemish. She ran her hand over her body, softly at first. When there was no pain she pushed harder, finding herself almost wanting the pain back just so she knew she wasn't losing it.

But there was no pain.

Her stomach twisted. Her mind was scattered as she tried desperately to remember exactly what had happened. It was a crazy blur, yet she remembered it all. She grabbed her head, staring at herself in the mirror again only for a second before throwing on the random array of clothes she had gathered.

Her mind was ahead of her body, as she rushed out the bathroom to find the van keys. Just as she scooped them off the table, she heard rustling from the bed. She held her breath as she turned to see Cassidy sitting up, his face scrunched as she rubbed his eyes and stretched his arms, "Mornin'." He said with a smile.

She bolted towards her suitcase, grabbing it tight in her arms, then dashed for the door, "Oi!" Cassidy said, vaulting himself out of the bed and running after her, "Where are y'goin'?!"

When she unlatched and opened the door, she didn't expect what was on the other side. Sheer, blinding light. She groaned, covering her eyes, Cassidy had held his hand out to grab her shoulder, but when the sunlight hit, his skin sizzled, "Ooh!" He winced, pulling away and stepping back, taking cover behind the door. "Hey, hey, hey!" She heard him yell as the door closed behind her.

She ran practically blind, running into a concrete barrier and falling over it into a vehicle, her suitcase hitting the ground with a ' _thud_ '. She kept her eyes squinted, clawing for her bag until it was in her arms again. She stood straight up, seeing the outlines of what was around her. Lily found the van not far away and jumped in. Rubbing her eyes, she was thankful to find a pair of shades on the dashboard. She threw them on, helping enough for her to see only a little better.

She turned the keys in the ignition, and threw the van into gear. The tires screeched against the gravel as she sped off. It was hard to tell, but in the rear view she could have sworn she saw Cassidy wrapped in the bed linens, running after in the middle of the road.

* * *

Her face was in a permanent squint, knees were bouncing, hands were shaking, her eyes were watering and she was quickly realizing what was happening.

 _"The only thing stoppin' me is the bloody day."_

She replayed his words in her head.

 _"What?"_ She had asked, after taking another swig of whiskey. The whiskey. Lily scrunched her face even more. Why had she drank so much whiskey? She cursed herself.

 _He sighed, "The damn sun."_

 _"You can't be in the daylight?"_ She had said.

Her mind scattered to more information she had gathered.

The miraculous healing, the extreme sensitivity to light... there was only one answer, and it wasn't the one she wanted. She exhaled, trying to concentrate on where she was going, while trying to piece together how he'd done it. Lily was so wrapped up in her own head, she hadn't noticed she had been going nearly double the speed limit in the tiny residential area. "Shit!" She screamed to herself.

Lily recognized the car in the driveway immediately, giving her the assurance that the house it was parked at was the one she was looking for.

She screeched down the road into a dead end, parking in a neighbors driveway. Throwing the van in park, she quickly grabbed her bag and ran out, her one hand wrapped around the sunglasses that covered her eyes.

Lily didn't bother knocking, she opened the door and closed it quickly behind her, relieved to be inside. The sound of Tulip's uncle snoring next to her on the couch made her jump. Then, she heard movement upstairs. She looked up, noticing a set of stairs, she ran to them, "Tulip!" She yelled. Tulip trotted down the stairs, "Lily." She said, "What the hell? I've been tryin' to get a hold of y-" She stopped in front of her. Tulip paused, "What... happened to you?" She asked, eyeing her up and down. Lily dropped her bag on the ground.

"Is Jesse here?" Lily asked, looking upstairs. Tulip pursed her lips and shook her head "No." She crossed her arms, "Is that... Cassidy's shirt?..." Lily froze, glancing down to her shirt. It _was_ Cassidy's. She hadn't even noticed. She didn't even know how to explain _that_. How was she going to explain the chain of events the past couple of days held? "And my pants!?" Tulip whined. Lily stared blankly down at them, "Uh... I don't know." She admitted, looking back up to her, "Are they?"

"You came by here? When!?" Tulip asked, confused as to how Lily was wearing one of her favorite pairs of jeans, "And what's with the shades? Are ya suddenly blind or are ya just bein' an asshole?" Lily felt a little bit of both, actually. Tulip widened her eyes more, leaning her head forward expecting Lily to speak, but she couldn't. Tulip was going to think Lily lost her mind. Tulip kept her lips pursed as she rolled her eyes, "Nevermind, then." She marched into the kitchen.

"I was tryin' t'get your numb nuts brother out of this shit hole of a town. Almost had 'im, which you _would've_ known all about if you were answering any of my damn calls." She side eyed Lily from the kitchen.

Lily finally followed her to the kitchen, making her way to the window right away, yanking the curtains shut. Tulip opened the fridge door, raising a brow towards Lily, "What _**is**_ your problem?" She asked, pulling out a carton of cream. Lily stood against the kitchen table, her arms crossed, not knowing where to start. Tulip poured coffee into two cups, bringing them to the table as she sat down at it. She stirred in her cream, then stared up to Lily.

In the middle of the table sat a cast iron pan, holding a simmering omelette and hash type dish, but Lily had no appetite. Tulip crossed her legs up on a chair in front of her, leaning on the table.

She pushed the cup of coffee to Lily, sighing in annoyance, "Are ya gonna tell me what the Hell is goin' on, or just stand there with that dumb look on your face all day?" She asked. Lily huffed, sitting down, finally able to choke out words, "Something really bad happened. Really, **really** bad. Terrible." Tulip sipped from her coffee cup, waiting. Lily swallowed, before explaining the incident in the church.

Tulip listened in her usual fashion, relaxed and not entirely surprised by each detail as she sipped her coffee.

Lily had been rambling for several minutes and Tulip hadn't interrupted yet - not that Lily gave her the chance, she hardly breathed between sentences, "He just got up, right after he'd been shot through the chest and, Tulip, he grabbed the man and just... he... he started _drinking_ his blood." Lily finally paused, but Tulip didn't react how she had expected.

"Did you hear me?" Lily asked, wondering if she was talking too fast. Tulip nodded, "Ya, I heard you. I know about Cassidy." Lily dipped her head down, her eyes peaking above the shades, "You _knew_ about Cassidy?" She asked curiously. Tulip nodded. Suddenly, Lily's brow narrowed and her tone changed completely as she was suddenly furious, "You _knew_ about Cassidy!?" She pushed Tulip's shoulder.

Tulip scrunched her face at Lily, "Hey!" She growled back, "Don't be pissed at me-" Lily interrupted her, adjusting the sunglasses still on her face, "You left me with a stranger you knew was a vampire?!" "Oh please!" Tulip raised her voice to match the volume of Lily's, "Cassidy's not any kind of threat to you, I know that for a fact. Wouldn't've left ya with him if I doubted that even a little bit." Tulip defended.

"Maybe he's not a threat himself.." Lily retaliated, "But that entire shitstorm in the church with all those men-" "C'mon!" Tulip interrupted, "It's not like that's the first time you got in the middle of somethin' like that." Tulip noticed Lily's hard face loosen, her brow furrowing as suddenly. Lily's mind was more focused less on arguing with Tulip and more on on how she was about to explain to her that she was pretty sure she was a vampire now too.

Tulip raised a brow, "Lily." She said, curious to where Lily's head was all of a sudden at. With an effort to calm herself, Lily took a deep breath as she quickly continued explaining further, going on about the giant incident in the how badly she got hurt, blacking out and waking up in the hospital.

"Wait," Tulip had interrupted, "You're going on about how much pain you were in... I don't see a dent on ya." Tulip shook her head, "Your leg's broken?" She raised her brows as she pointed to her seemingly broken leg.

Lily held her hands out, "I'm getting there." Tulip bit her tongue in confusion, listening to the rest of Lily's explanation, of how Cassidy had swooped her out of the hospital, how much pain she was in, how he didn't kill her like she'd imagined and instead entertained her as she asked whatever she wanted. And the whiskey, of course. "One second I was hardly conscious, the next I was completely coherent. I suddenly felt fine. Clear headed and alert. The pain was _gone_ , it didn't hurt to breathe, I didn't notice anything, but..." She paused.

"What?" Tulip asked anxiously, "You didn't notice anything but what?"

Lily closed her eyes and exhaled, "There was this... smell. It made my mouth water. Hazed my mind." She threw her hands over her face, "Next thing I knew I was _mmmhmmphh_ -" She mumbled into her hands. Tulip shook her head, leaning closer to Lily, "You were what?" Lily said the muffled words again, "mmmh. hmmm. hmm." Tulip's lips went straight as she slapped her hands against the table, " _ **What**_?!" She asked in complete annoyance.

Lily dropped her hands onto the table, her face was flat, "I was on top of him." She admitted with a red face. Tulip slapped her arm on the table again, "You had _sex_ with _Cassidy_?!" She asked, her brows furrowed, "That's the really, _**really**_ , bad, terrible thing you're whining about?"

Shaking her head, Lily furrowed her brow, "No. Well, yes..." Tulip widened her eyes and leaned back in the chair, "I would've _never_ in a million _million_ years pictured you in the sack with someone like Cassidy.." Tulip began, disturbed at the image, "But I don't think it's the end of the world or anythin' to be too upset about."

"No," Lily interrupted, leaning on the table and closer to Tulip. Closing her eyes, she shook her head, "That's not really what I'm upset about. Ya, that's really bad too, but I'm focusing on the part where I was suddenly completely alert. How suddenly I was all over him." She took off the sunglasses on her face and laid them on the table, lowering her eyes seriously to Tulip, "I'm focusing on how, now, I feel no pain, no bruises, not even a _blemish_. How I don't hardly remember falling asleep." She stared at Tulip, who turned her head and narrowed her eyes, "Are you sayin' Cassidy drugged you?" She looked pissed already.

With her shoulder dropping, Lily shook her head, "No. No. How quickly I healed... how sensitive I am to the light..." Tulip dragged her legs off the chair in front of her and leaned even more towards Lily, who looked at Tulip with worried eyes. With a quick inhale, Lily blinked, speaking very quietly, "I think he did something worse than drug me, Tulip."

The air was tense between them. Tulip felt a cold rush through her body, a sudden lump in her throat, "Do you feel anything else?" She asked. Lily shook her head and swallowed, frowning, "Mostly sensitive to light and, to be honest, I feel great. Just shook up." Her voice was feeble.

"Anything _else_ , though?" Tulip asked again, her wide eyes looking into Lily's. Lily blinked, narrowing her brows, "Anything else.. like..what? Tulip?"

Tulip pressed her lips together, "Are you thirsty? For blood? You wanna rip my throat out right now or anythin' like that?" Lily scoffed, her eyebrows creased. She shook her head furiously, her voice loud again, " **No** , I'm not, and _no_ I don't." She said defensively, not wanting to think about it anyways.

"Tulip, I need to leave." Lily plead, gazing into her eyes. There was stale air between them for a moment. Tulip shook her head, "I'm not leavin' without Jesse, Lily." She said. Of course not. Lily knew that, but her heart still broke.

Suddenly, Lily perked up as she heard something outside. "What?" Tulip asked as Lily jumped up onto her feet, "What?!" She asked again, more concerned.

Lily staring at the door, "I'm not here." She said quietly. She ran down the hallway, swiftly scooping up her bag on route. Tulip turned in her seat at the kitchen table and watched as Lily ran to the room at the end of the hallway. At the same time Lily shut the door to the bedroom behind her, the front door opened, Tulip only had to shift her eyes to see Cassidy barge in, wrapped up in a bed linen cocoon like a true psychopath.


	13. Can't Help That

"Tulip!" Cassidy said frantically, standing in the doorway of her uncles house, "Have y'heard anythin' from Lily?" He marched towards her, ripping the sheets off that surrounded him, entirely clothed underneath with his hood of his sweater still over his head.

Tulip bit her tongue, her face sour, "Well good mornin' to you too, Cassidy." He rubbed his face, "Jus'... Listen, it's important, alright?" He said.

She stared at him, glaring daggers, "Why's that?"

"Why's wot?" He asked back.

"Why is it _sooo_ important?" She pried, mockingly.

Cassidy scoffed, raising his shoulders, "Because. I. We-" Cassidy groaned, pausing in his fluster only for a moment, he sighed leaning against the table, "If y'really must know," He spoke lowly, "Her n'I spent the night together last night n'things got a little out of hand, I guess y'could say, a'right?" He bobbed his head with wide eyes as she stared at the ground.

He crossed his arms, "I'll give y'the details, later, Tulip." He whined annoyingly, "Jus' tell me if y've seen 'er at least. I know she was 'ere, wot did she say exactly?" He held his arms out.

She bit her tongue, "What happened, Cassidy?" She said coldly.

Lily listened silently. She imagined his insane eyes like they were the night of the church, only this time she pictured them on herself. A shiver ran through her.

Cassidy sighed. He hunched, rubbing the back of his head.

Tulips eyes narrowed instantly, "Cassidy." Tulip hissed lowly, her arms crossed. Lily listened intently from the room, careful not to make any noise, hardly breathing.

"She got hurt real bad, Tulip, a bunch o'these guys came to the church after me," He began explaining, but his usual rambling had her patience dissipate immediately. "She got hurt real bad. I dropped 'er off at the hospital n'got 'er out as soon as I could. I forgot she took some real strong painkillers n'made the shite decision of indulgin' in a whole bottle of whiskey." At least his chaotic half a minute description of what happened seemed to match to Lily's half hour explanation.

"She was slippin' away." Cassidy continued, "I could've brough 'er back to the hospital 'ere. But I knew if I done that, they'd come after me. I'd have t'run, n'I don't wanna." He admitted. His shoulders shook as he let out a "Hmph," And he shook his head, "Quite selfish o'me I suppose, but I can't help that about me." He groveled.

Tulip listened intently, and he sighed, "I knew she prolly wouldn't make it t'Houston. I did the only thing I knew would likely help 'er situation. It'was all I had in my mind." Tulip felt her heart racing at his words, nearly pumping out of her chest as shock turned to anger. In the room down the hallway, Lily felt her legs go numb. She slid down against the wall, sitting on the floor as she struggled to fight against the urge vomit. Her ears rang loudly as she tried to process the fact Cassidy was affirming her assumption.

Tulip stood up from the table, the chair scraping against the floor as she pushed it back, her hand was trailing on the table as she slowly stepped up to Cassidy, "You..." Tulip began between clenched teeth, pointing a finger at him, "What did you do?" She growled lowly, demanding him to say it. Cassidy fluttered his eyes, shrugging his shoulders, "She was gonna die if I-"

 _ **WHACK**_

Tulip couldn't bare the restraint to wait for the words to come out of his mouth. She had smacked Cassidy upside the head with the cast iron pan that had been sitting on the kitchen table. Cassidy's body flew backwards and slammed against the ground. "Oh-ho-ho..." He groaned from the floor, "Ok," He lifted a hand, his voice clenched, "Wot the Hell.."

Cassidy felt the gash in the side of his head as it began to bleed. He held his hand against it.

Tulip stood above him as he laid on the ground, wielding the pan above her shoulders, "I'm gonna give you _one_ chance to _explain_ why you thought that was the best idea." She threatened through clenched teeth. With his face scrunched, his brow narrowed and his voice raised loudly, "Y'didn't even let me finish-" Tulip raised the frying pan threateningly, melting Cassidy's hard defense front immediately as he raised his eyes wide and held both hands up to her, his "Alright, alright!" He shouted, "Just get yer mind straight fer a second!"

"My mind is about as everywhere as my breakfast is!" Tulip said, opening her arms to the mess of omelette coating her kitchen, "Now _explain_ before I scramble _your_ eggs! Got it?" She threatened.

"Jaysus!" Cassidy said, "Jus' calm down n'listen to me, will ya?" Tulip stayed at the ready above him. "First o'all, any other time I've given my blood to a human, they simply sober up and maybe if they're lucky get a bit of a buzz. Now that's what I was _tryin_ ' t'do, she'd taken a strong dose of those there painkillers n'then drank a bunch o'whiskey, she was goin' t'overdose, most likely, n'I jus' wasn't gonna risk it, Tulip!"

He watched as Tulip didn't move, "You gave her your blood?... Is that what it takes to change someone into what you are. Into a vampire?"

Cassidy's eye's widened, "What?"

Tulip breathed in, "You turned her-"

Cassidy interrupted her, "No!" He practically yelled, his tone so suddenly furious it made Tulip jerk back slightly, "Have y'lost yer _mind_?" Cassidy shouted angrily, getting up on his feet in front of her, shaking his head with his mouth straight, "Why in the _Hell_ would-" His own words cut off, "I can't believe-" He huffed, unable to finish the sentence at the idea Tulip had in her mind as his head dropped and he placed his hand on the back of it.

Tulip's hand was involuntarily lowering the frying pan as she noted how disturbed Cassidy was at her accusation. She arched her brow skeptically, "The sensitivity to light and all that. What's that, then?"

Cassidy's hand slid off his head and his face unhardened as he lifted his chin back up towards Tulip. He stepped up to her quickly, "Wot d'ye mean?" He arched a brow and read her expression of how busted she just was. With his brow raising he pointed a finger in her face, "She _was_ here!" He shouted, clenching his teeth at her, "I knew it!"

"You sure you didn't change her... even by _accident_ or somethin'?" Tulip asked.

Cassidy felt blood dripping from the gash in his head as he slapped his hand on it, "That's not the way it works!" He said confidently, marching around the house to look for her as Tulip followed him, "There's no way she's changin'. Trust me." He opened a room and peaked in, "She's just on a high or somethin'... I don't know what the fok it is, but the sooner I talk to 'er, the sooner I can find out!" He stopped in his tracks and turned to Tulip, his brow scrunched, "She said the light bothered her?" He asked curiously.

"You're _sure_?" Tulip asked yet again, ignoring his question.

"Yes!" Cassidy said.

"Positively, abso-fuckin'-lutely sure?" She raised her brows.

Cassidy groaned, "Positively. Abso. Fokin. Lutely. Sure. Tulip, _**shite**_! I'm not tellin' ye again!" He yelled.

Tulip dropped the pan on the ground. From the bedroom down the hallway - Lily's mind continued to race. She wasn't turning into anything. A wave of cold relief consumed her. Suddenly her ears stopped ringing, and she pulled herself together. She stood up and opened the bedroom door.

Cassidy turned around to see Lily, who held her bag in one hand. She walked towards them, stood beside Tulip, and looked up at him. Lily's mouth was watering as if she was about to hurl, and maybe she was. Cassidy's hand was still glued to the place Tulip had hit him with the frying pan in the head as he returned her stare. Lily turned her head, face stern. She spoke flat and quiet, "I'm not-" Her words cut off as if she was afraid to even say it.

"No." Cassidy shook his head, "Yer not." He took his hand off his gash on the side of his head and in that instant, Lily's hard stare melted and became incredibly soft. She realized why her mouth was watering, and it wasn't because she was going to vomit. She stared at Cassidy's hand, laid eyes at the wet, dark maroon sheen on his palm and lost her mind.

She lunged forward, pushing him into the wall behind him. Tulip watched the blur of action happen, at first, unable to process what was going on. Cassidy groaned when his back slammed against the wall behind, and Lily had yanked his palm towards her mouth.

She barely got her lips to touch Cassidy's palm when she felt Tulip begin to approach from behind. One hand still against Cassidy, she dropped her other hand that she grasped Cassidy's wrist with, and used it to defend against Tulip.

Tulip had lunged to wrap her arms around Lily. Lily quickly grabbed her and pushed her back with ease. Tulip fell to the ground and slid across the room, slamming against the side table by the couch. Two lamps had fallen onto her, one of them breaking. Lily had turned back to Cassidy, her tongue grazing the littlest bit of his blood that she managed to get on her lips. He lifted his hands up, not putting up a fight against her, "Lily. Stop." He was determined to get through to her, but it was no use as she clawed him. Finally, he gave in, "Y'want more?" He said so quietly she nearly had to read his lips.

She stopped in her tracks. Her stomach fluttered and she nodded, feeling as if she was going to melt from all the tension. He grabbed her wrists and pulled her into him. Her heart was racing, as soon as her body was against his, she felt like she was going to burst into flames.

Tulip, fairly winded, couldn't hear what was happening. The only thing catching her attention was the power chord from the broken lamp. She looked to the other lamp, quickly grabbing it and smashing it as well. Cassidy's soft demeanor quickly vanished as he resorted to fighting back - grabbing Lily by the scruff of her (technically _his_ ) shirt, switching places with her as he threw her against the wall, pinning her there with minimal effort.

She winced, the wind knocked out of her. She was soon squirming to get out of his grasp. It was no use as she was undoubtedly not going anywhere as long as he had her in his grasp - but that didn't stop her from trying. Cassidy watched her act like a total animal as she wriggled, groaning and clawing as she did.

Cassidy couldn't bare to see her act so out of it, " _ **Oi!**_ " He yelled, "Knock it off!" His sternness shocked all of them, including himself.

Suddenly, Lily felt her ankles being held. She tried to look down, but at the same time, Cassidy let go of her and stepped back. As she went to latch back onto him, she fell on her face. Her ankles had been tied together by Tulip who'd made use of the loose power cord from the broken lamp. Cassidy already had both of her hands as Tulip wrapped the other power chord around her wrists.

Tulip grabbed Lily by her wrists and began dragging her down the hall. "What the **hell**?! Tulip, _let go of me_!" Lily hissed. Tulip threw Lily in the bedroom and closed the door, the screams of Lily cursing at them projecting from behind.

Out of breath, Tulip walked up to Cassidy, "I'm gonna ask you one more time.. " She said, swinging her head to Cassidy as she pursed her lips and crossed her arms, "You abso-fuckin'-lutely sure?" She asked, raising her brows with a huff.

Cassidy's lips flattened, staring down the hallway towards Lily's screaming, "Yea," He groaned, "This is somethin' else."


	14. A Unique Situation

After a good amount of time, Tulip walked down the hallway to the bedroom door that she had thrown Lily into, "Are ya gonna come at me again, crazy bitch?" Tulip asked through the door. Lily sighed, "No."

The door creaked as Tulip pushed it open, looking down at Lily who was sitting upright against the bed, her ankles and wrists still tied together. Tulip pursed her lips, cutting the chords off. Lily stood up and Tulip side eyed her as she walked out of the room, Lily grabbed her shoulder, "Tulip," She whispered, "I'm sorry for spazzing like that.." She said shortly.

To her relief, Tulip smirked, "Don't worry about it. Was kind of nice blowin' off some steam, tossin' ya like a sack of potatoes like that." Lily shrugged a shoulder shamefully. Tulip turned her head and walked back towards the living room.

Lily refrained from looking at Cassidy, but saw him in her peripheral vision on the other side of the living room as she leaned on the arm of a nearby sofa. "Now," Tulip said, "I had an interesting talk with Cass while you were in time out." Lily glared Tulip as she tried to counteract the faint blush in her cheeks.

"It's not somethin' I'm proud of," Cassidy said lowly, "But I've had my fair share of pushin' people too far when it comes t'various substances n'wotnot. I discovered, mostly by accident, that my blood sobered up the few humans I happened t'give it to. Even gave some o'them a buzz. Been doin' really good at not pushin' people so hard, but Hell, wot can I say... y'were a unique situation."

Lily's heart was pounding, she flickered her eyes up to his. He breathed in, keeping his distance respectfully, "I've never had anyone react th'way y'did." He admitted, "Throwin' 'er around." He pointed his chin at Tulip, "Fer th'first time - I thought someone was gonna rip _my_ throat out." He cackled.

With the embarassment of her actions too much, Lily inhaled quickly, "Well I'm fine now and we can just never talk about any of this ever again." She stated. Cassidy blinked, his brow narrowing as he felt the exact opposite. There was clearly something very wrong with the way Lily reacted, and her distance from him now proved that even more.

Tulip exhaled, "So," She said in a sarcastically perky tone, "To put it short and wrap it up.." She turned her head to Cassidy.

"Sadly, for you, this wasn't your first time accidentally overdosin' someone." Cassidy blinked, shaking his head shamefully. Tulip swung her head towards Lily, "And luckily, for _you_ , this wasn't his first time accidentally overdosin' someone." Lily didn't move or say anything.

Tulip continued, "Just make note to yourselves to never do _**that** _ again." The air was stale and Tulip was quick to cut the tension,"At least you're alive _and_ your leg isn't broken." She said, her intention to enlighten Lily, who looked up from the ground up to Tulip, nodding with a feeble smile. "You want some clothes?" Tulip asked, glaring towards Cassidy, "Or maybe I should ask Cassidy to grab some since he helped himself in here to grab some for you yesterday."

With a shrug, Cassidy adjusted his sunglasses, "Y'weren't 'ere n'I figured she didn't wan t'sport that hospital gown an instant longer." He justified. Of course he was right, but Lily refrained from any acknowledgement as she followed Tulip up to the room she'd been staying in.

Lily was thankful for the chance to get out of Cassidy's presence, and even more than that, his shirt.

After a few minutes, the girls were back downstairs, and as Lily walked by, Cassidy was sure to stare at her - but her eyes never glanced his way. He watched as she trailed her bag behind her, taking the clothes Tulip had given her and locking herself in the bathroom.

Walking into the living room towards where Cassidy was sitting, Tulip looked down to him, noticing the look on his face, "What?"

He raised a brow to Tulip and whispered lowly, "D'ya see the way she hauls that thing around?"

Tulip shook her head, "What'd'ya mean?"

Cassidy raised his brows, "After that, after **all** that _shite_ that went down in the chruch," He pointed his finger in the air, "One o'the _first_ thins she asks 'bout after I snatch 'er up from the hospital wasn't anythin' t'do with the fact I'm over a century old, or who th'Hell those gobshites who tried t'kill me were, or _any_ of the million possible questions I was ready fer." His lips were pressed tightly, "It was where her fokin' bag was."

Tulip's arms were crossed, her eyes low as she looked down at Cassidy, "Hm." She said.

Cassidy turned his head, "D'you know, then?"

Tulip sighed, "What her deal is with her bag fetish? No, I don't. Lily's always been weird with things." Tulip stated, "Let it go Cass, you're probably rackin' your brain over somethin' borin', anyway." Tulip pushed off the side of the couch she had been leaning on an walked into the kitchen.

There was a chance Tulip was right, but Cassidy wasn't about to ignore the curiosity as easily as she was.


	15. God's Plan

Lily had hoped the hot shower would cleanse her enough to heal her bruised ego the same way Cassidy's blood had healed her bruised body. She was utterly mortified at the past couple days events, feeling as if she had been watching her life in third person.

She hoped that Cassidy would have fallen off the face of the earth, but she wasn't so lucky. When Lily walked out of the washroom, she caught his eyes immediately. Walking into the kitchen, she began searching the fridge to keep her occupied. "Hungry?" Tulip asked. "Not really." Lily stated. "Then why are ya diggin' in my fridge?" Tulip asked flatly.

Lily heard Cassidy clear his throat as he stood up and walked towards her, "Y'feelin' better?" He asked. Lily's chest was tight as she held her breath, "Yea." She tossed him his shirt. He smirked and Lily quickly shifted her glance to Tulip, "I need to find Jesse." She had meant for to sound cool and collected, but instead came out quite desperate. She ran her hands over her hair, "Let's go." She no-so-subtly plead to Tulip.

Tulip shook her head, "I don't have time for your idiot brother right now. I got some shit to figure out. And so do you two, Jesus!" Tulip shifted her eyes between Lily and Cassidy shaking her head, "You two have some _**serious**_ shit to sort out." Lily ignored Tulip's statement and instead scooped up her bag again, "I'd assume he's at the church." Tulip looked at the ground with her arms crossed, pressing her lips together, "So's your truck." Lily looked to Tulip - that left Lily stranded here with Cassidy and the van if Tulip didn't drive her,"Can you give me a lift then?"

"Sorry, Lil," Tulip shook her head, "I'm nearly a day late to get somewhere. Cassidy _lives_ at the damn church though, I'm sure he could take you."

Lily's heart stopped and her mind screamed, wanting to choke Tulip, who knew _exactly_ what she was doing, "Ok," Lily said quickly, not wanting to make it any more awkward, "Let's go then." Lily walked towards the entrance, grabbing the aviator sunglasses she'd found in the van and throwing them on her face. With bag in firm grasp she opened the door. Beside her Cassidy threw his jacket hood over his head and began wrapping himself up in the hotel bed linens.

Lily stepped outside and scowled at the brightness, even with the sunglasses, squinting and making her way as quick as possible to the van that she had parked around the corner. Cassidy was still inside the doorway frantically wrapping the linens around him when Tulip called, "Here, Cass." Throwing him an umbrella. "Thanks Tulip." Cassidy smiled, bundled in the linen as he wrapped his covered arms around the pole of the umbrella.

He caught up to her quickly. "Toss me the keys." Cassidy yelled from behind Lily as he hobbled in the mess of bed sheets around him.

Lily jingled them in the air, the quick rhythm of her shoes clicking against the pavement, "I'm fine. Much better than I thought." At the same moment, she ran into the mirror on her way into the drivers side. "Ow!" She winced, "Fuck!" It was as if Cassidy had been on her heels. He grabbed her arm, "You OK?" Apparently, his touch wasn't the comfort he was attempting to convey, as she flinched back, "I'm _fine_." She scoffed.

He grabbed the door handle, "Lemme drive." She stepped back tried to look at his face to give him a 'how-useless-do-you-think-I-am?' look, but it proved to be backfire as her eyes burned from the sun behind him. He stepped closer to her, the shade from the umbrella giving instant relief. Her shoulders dropped, and without any more of a fight, she handed him the keys in defeat.

The drive to the church shouldn't've taken as long as it did. Lily was positive Cassidy was driving at a crawling pace on purpose. He had tried to spark conversation multiple times. Lily gave back a "Hm," a couple times, but nothing more. Her arms were crossed and her eyes were closed behind the shades. She lifted a hand to her forehead as she rubbed her temples, her head pounding.

Cassidy looked at her to his side, noticing her discomfort. "What's it feel like?" He asked. She sighed, "Not very good right now." Her eyes stayed closed.

"Right now?" He repeated, "Ye felt good before then?"

"Yes."

"It's th'sun?"

"Yes."

"Hm." He thought for a second, "Doessit hurt jus yer head or is yer skin sensitive too?"

"Both."

"Hm... You'll feel better once we're inside again I bet. Wot do y'feel like? I mean when y'first tasted it. Jus' thinkin' about the way y'acted back at Tulip's-"

Her stomach turned, and she let out a huff, her mouth watering again and making her heart rate increase.

"D'ya jus lose yer mind right away, or issit like an adrenaline rush or-" Finally, she interrupted him, "Cassidy. Just-" She held her breath, trying so hard to hold back the urge whether to punch him in square in the face or reef him on top of her.

And to her surprise, he left her alone - for the time being.

Worse than the discomfort the blaring sun was giving her, was the awful tension she felt. She wanted to knock Cassidy out while at the same time just as equally jump his bones. When they finally got to the church, Cassidy was right, as she crossed the line between the beaming sun and the shade of the church, it was like jumping through a wall of relief. She breathed deep. "Better?" He asked. "Yea." She said quietly.

"Jess's truck isn't 'ere so I don't believe 'es round." Cassidy pointed out. She continued into the church, and he followed her like a lost dog, not helping her state of mind. She listened as he unraveled himself from the bed linens and walked out of them, leaving them in the middle of the floor of the entrance way and throwing the open umbrella in a corner.

Lily made sure to quickly pass through the large area of the church where events from not long ago were still too fresh. She wondered if she could ever be able to see a church without the blanket of blood and Cassidy's crazed eyes standing in the middle of it all. She hurriedly pushed through the door at the back of the church, into the community area where the kitchen was.

Lily had found a bottle of water in the fridge and began downing it. In the corner of her eye she watched Cassidy take off his hood, then jacket. She turned her head to him. The sight of his bare upper body was causing the urge to knock him out to quickly dwindle away as the other side of her frustration took over. Ripping the empty water bottle out of her mouth, she exhaled, "What are you doing?" She said a bit breathless.

"Now that I got my shirt back," He flashed his teeth with a wide grin, throwing his arms over his head as he pulled the shirt over his head, getting a whiff her scent as the fabric grazed over his face. She felt her face go hot as she snatched her bag and walked out the side door that was beside the fridge to go back outside, deciding that the spotlight of discomfort that was the sun was better than being inside a church with a vampire who's greatest power was to turn her into a hormonal teenager again.

She threw her bag onto the ground, watching it skid across, sandy dust lifting around it from it's trail. On the side of the church was a fire emergency box, where behind the glass was an axe. She picked up a rock and smashed the glass, yanking the axe out.

Cassidy stood in the shade on the door's stair case as she took her first swing of the axe at the hard shelled bag. The sight made Cassidy cackle, "Weapon o'choice, I see." She groaned at his stupid reference. He puffed from a cigarette, "Wot's that thing made outta?" He asked. She ignored him, and continued trying her very hardest. Not that she was convinced this would work, but it felt good to blow some steam.

Not more than a couple minutes, the sound of a vehicle approaching the front of the church caught both of their attention. She kept the axe in one hand, and grabbed the bag in the other as she walked back towards the side door of the church - towards Cassidy, who didn't make any effort to move. She leaned against the wall to try and slink past him, he grabbed her shoulder and she looked at him, his eyes peering over his frames as he exhaled from his smoke, "I know yer obviously a bit shook up" He started, "But I _really_ need yew t'talk to me about all of this." He was curious about her reaction to his blood and wanted to know what her struggles were. She was flushed and out of breath as she shook her head, "Not now, Cassidy." She shoved past him and he let go over her, following her in as she was walking back into the kitchen, "Jesse?" She called, "Jesse!"

From the corner of the kitchen was a sound, she turned her head to see a fair, big eyed woman with, in Lily's opinion, style so terrible she made it look like a cardboard box would be more fashion sense than she did. "You're not Jesse." Lily stated obvously.

"Uh-h. I, I-" The woman stuttered, swallowing, "I'm not,. I mean, obviously I'm not." She smiled, "I'm Emily." She practically whispered with her twang, "Are ya a friend of Cassidy?" She asked, her lips flat as she stared at the axe in Lilys hand.

Cassidy cackled. "No." Lily groaned, as if it was so far off to assume. She was standing in the middle of the churches kitchen with an axe in hand, flushed and wearing sunglasses. Emily shifted her eyes from Cassidy back to Lily, lifting her head the slightest, "Uh-" She said awkwardly, "I... I help Jesse 'round the church, though. Is there somethin' I can help?" She asked politely.

Lily nodded, "Do you have any idea where Jesse is? I thought I heard his pickup." Emily shook her head. Lily nodded, holding a hand out, "I'm Lily. Jesse's sister." Emily's straight brows twitched as she shook her hand, "Sister?" Lily couldn't help a small smile spread across her lips at the frazzled woman, "He never mentioned me?" Lily raised a shoulder, letting go of Emily's hand, "How surprising." Emily dipped her head down, her mouth hanging open as she struggled for words until finally, a voice caught all of their attention from the hallway behind them, "Just about as surprisin' as it is that I'm seein' you back here." Jesse said as he walked in, past Lily to the fridge.

"Jesse." Lily said, "Could you help me?" Jesse laughed sarcastically, "Cuttin' to the chase, huh?" He asked, smirking in disbelief as he opened the fridge door.

"Do you have a gun?" She asked Jesse. He turned from the open fridge and narrowed his brows, raising his chin at her, "Now, why would you need a gun, Lillian?" He asked. She exhaled, lifting her bag up, "I need to get this open, which is impossible without the key.. I thought it was worth a shot." He stared at her blankly. "Literally." She added.

"I'm goin' to go get ready for mass..." Emily said awkwardly, walking into the church to escape the tenseness. Cassidy cackled from the other corner of the kitchen.

"Hmph." Jesse chuckled, hanging his head, continuing on what he was doing, as she followed him. "Please!" She begged. If she had any pride left it would be hurt, "Just help me out." There was a few moments of the refrigerator humming, before Jesse lifted his head again, "I'm shocked you don't have your own gun." Her lips pressed into a line, "I do!" She threw the bag on the ground, her hands on her hips, "I just can't get to it." She stepped closer to him, "Please, Jesse?"

He stared at her for a moment. His eyes hard. He knew one of the hardest things for his sister to ever do was to admit she needed his help, and here she was practically on her knees. "One condition," he said. She turned her head, "What?" She said flatly. "You come to evening mass tonight." Immediately Lily rolled her head to the side and bit her lip as she refrained from laughing. Cassidy raised his brows as he stood, arms crossed against the side wall.

Jesse continued, pointing a finger out, "I want you to see for yourself - I want for you to realize that it's not just a decision I made. It's _God's_ _plan_ that I am here." He looked down at her with genuine eyes, "And that you're here now."

There was a tense pause. But Lily finally breathed in, "Fine."

"Great." He stated. He walked up to the bag, "Let's do this then. But we're not going to shoot it. We're going to melt it. It's metal lining, right?"

She shook her head, "Ya, but that won't work. It won't melt."

"Okay," He said, "Then we'll break it open... with a crow bar or an axe or somethin'," She shook her head again, "You're not listening to me." She held the axe up in the air. His little amount of patience was gone in seconds, " _Fine_!" He shouted as he held out his hands, "I don't have time to argue with you," He groaned, turning towards the door. She followed him outside to around the front where he parked his truck. She turned to watch as Cassidy lingered in the shade of the side of the building.

She turned back to Jesse, seeing him pull out a small gun. "Don't you have anything other than a dusty old pistol?" She asked, her hands over top of her eyes as she tried to ignore the discomfort. He slowly glanced towards her, "Gettin' picky now?"

Lily shook her head, "No," She said sweet and short, holding a hand out to grab the gun. He pulled it away, "I got it." He said. Cassidy had made himself comfortable in the shade on the front steps watching them. Lily crossed her arms and closed her eyes as he placed the bag on the ground. Jesse took aim and shot.

After many attempts, the suitcase remained with only scattered marks, but no sign of a single puncture. Jesse looked up to Lily. "Should I ask what you need so badly in here?" He said. "Ask me later." She said. He rolled his eyes, walking to the back of the church. Lily walked to the front of his truck, opening the door and snatching a pair of shades she found. "Still bothered?" Cassidy called to her. Lily nodded, "Bothered is an understatement." She mumbled.

Jesse came back with a chainsaw, "Are those my sunglasses?" He asked. She didn't respond, remembering she'd found them in the van this morning when she ran from Cassidy at the Sundowner. "Those are my favorite pair." Jesse stated, "I was lookin' for them. Don't fuck them up." He pointed at her before he revved it as he held it against the suitcase. Sparks flew everywhere. Lily noticed Cassidy walk inside the church in the corner of her eye. After a good couple of minutes, Jesse dropped the chainsaw down, noticing the suitcase only barred the scratches, still sealed shut.

Jesse's face was red with rage, he walked back around the church. Lily jumped when she heard Cassidy's voice right behind her, "Pain in the arse." She turned to him, staring at his Asian conical hat, the Mexican poncho and gardening gloves he wore. She turned back to the bag, her arms crossed.

"So wot, then?" He asked, lowly, inches away from her ear, "Yer jus goin' t'act as I don't exist?" When she didn't say anything he groaned, "Ahh... I see. Well that's real mature of ye. Do y'ignore every man after you've slept with them, or is that jus a special treatment I'm gettin'?" He said judgmentally. She turned to him, "I'm not ignoring you because of _that_ ," She hissed quietly, her eyebrows so low the frames of her shades lined up with them, "I'm ignoring you because you took advantage of me. Practically _drugging_ me with your blood." Her face scrunched up as if she was repulsed.

"The blood thing," He pointed, "I already told you, my intentions were t'just sober you up a bit. Save yer fokin' life. How was I suppose to know it was goin' to have the effect it did on ye? That's wot I've been tryin' t'talk t'ye about n'figure out, but yer igornin' me. N'took _advantage_?" He cackled loudly before he moved his voice to a low growl again, "I couldn't've gotten you off me if I tried. And I did! I tried hard. But I remember you beggin' me for it-."

" _SHH_!" She said sharply as she turned back to where she heard Jesse coming back from, her cheeks getting hot at the image he had put in her head.

Cassidy nodded his head, his tongue in his cheek, "I see. You don't want yer brother to know about us." He groaned, his face flat. Lily turned back to him with her eyebrows furrowed, " _Us?_ " She whispered, squinting her eyes at him, "How about you start with the fact I don't know shit about _you,_ and you don't know shit about _me_." She said bitterly, giving a hard stare into his eyes.

"Two strangers cannot be an _us_." She clarified. "Hmph." He smirked. "And even if it _had_ ," She said, interrupting him before he could start, "It's none of his business anyway."

Cassidy shook his head, "He's my best friend. I tell 'im everythin'."

"Oh ya?" She spat, "Like how you're a vampire for starters?" Lily watched Cassidy prepare to defend himself immediately but she didn't give him the chance, "Or that you nearly got me killed? Hm? How about that?" She spat as she raised her eyebrows. "Hey!" He spat back, "You know bloody well that y'should've listened to me n'not moved from that damn attic!" He countered.

"Oh, hey, Jesse?" Lily began in a mocking Irish accent, "Just thought I'd mention, I nearly got your sister killed by a bunch of vampire hunters, which reminds me, I'm a vampire. She nearly over dosed on the painkillers and whiskey I gave her, but don't worry, I fed her my blood, and so she was OK. To top that off I had sex with her, just thought you know, and now-"

Cassidy interrupted her rambling, "That ridiculous imitation. That suppose to be me?" He asked in a dramatic tone. She glared at him, "You tell Jesse about what happened you're _dead_." If Jesse hadn't finally came back to sight they would've argued in the same circle for hours. Lily's eyes shot to her brother, his arms full of a variety of tools, "Hey, Cass." Cassidy pressed his lips together and turned his stare from Lily to Jesse as he raised his head towards him. Lily picked up the bag, "Fuck this." She said. Jesse scrunched his face, "What's your problem?"

"I'm frustrated!" Lily said loudly. "I'm tryin' Lillian!" Jesse shouted.

"I know! I know you are Jesse. It's just." She took a breath, holding her hands out, "This shouldn't even be happening. The key is the only way to open it, and it was on a bangle bracelet on my wrist. It was impossible to get off without it being purposefully cut off. It's just so fucking weird how it managed to come off."

"Well," Jesse raised an eyebrow as he dropped the various tools to the ground, puffing at a cigarette, "When's the last time you remember having it?" He asked. She remembered seeing it on her wrist before she had left the attic to get to her gun. Cassidy was right. She shouldn't have left that attic. "Retrace your steps." Jesse said.

She shook her head, "I was here. In the church." She sighed. "Ok.." Jesse said, lifting up a blow torch, "Good. So it's likely somewhere here, then." Lily pushed off the tailgate of his truck she had been leaning on, walking up to the pile of tools and grabbing a drill.

"Ya," She said, revving the drill and watching as Jesse attempted to torch the suitcase. Lily shook her head, "It's not going to melt." She groaned. Pressing the drill against it, Lily watched the bit grind down to nothing against it.

"What the **_fuck_** is this thing made out of!" Jesse said remarkably, " _Christ_!"

Jesse stared up to Lily, "What could you have done the past two days where you would've lost it?" He asked. Spurts of the bloody and gruesome combat flashed through Lily's head. She swallowed, feeling Cassidy's eyes burning into her, "No clue."


	16. Behave Through Mass

Jesse huffed, working at the lock on Lily's bag with an ice pick. "Can we talk?" Lily asked, gripping down at the bag in efforts to help hold it for him. Cassidy watched from the comfort of shade the siding of the church was giving. Jesse clenched his voice and didn't look up to her as he kept picking, "We're talkin'." He stated. Lily nodded, "What's going on with you? That ... _thing_ you tried to use on me a couple days ago. Told me to forget all about you, remember? Cassidy told me about it.. Genesis?" Jesse looked up at her, then back down at the bag, "After mass." She didn't say anything.

A few more minutes went buy of efforts to get into Lily's bag under the afternoon sun and things were looking bleak.

"Wanna hold it _still_?" He asked impatiently. She was struggling trying to hold the bag steady, her hands awkwardly trying to hold it down for him the past couple of minutes, she huffed back, "I'm _trying_ here, but you've been pushing and shoving that thing all over the-" Suddenly, the pick slipped. It slid across the top of Lily's hand before stabbing Jesse in his other hand.

Simultaneously they jumped up. "Ah-ha-haooow!" Jesse yelped, pulling the pick out of his hand. "Fuck! Oh, for fuck!" Lily breathed in sharp and deep, trying her best to hold the gash shut. Cassidy pushed himself off the side of the church, "Shite!" He said, throwing his cigarette onto the ground and quickly going inside. He came back out in a flash, bundled as usual, with a tiny first aid kit. " 'Ere" he said, opening it.

Jesse grabbed the gauze and tensor bandage, sloppily wrapping his hand before turning to Lily, "Sorry, Lil." She looked up at him, through the pain she felt her stomach flutter at his softer tone. She let go of her hand, watching the blood gush from the slice. "Ooh," Cassidy said, "Nasty. 'Ere." He passed Jesse the rubbing alcohol and a cotton ball to wipe her wound.

Jesse gave her no warning as he wiped the blood away. She winced again, "God dammit!" "I know." Jesse stated, "It's fine. Hands and fingers just bleed a lot is all, nothin' to worry about, it's not deep enough for stitches, anyway." Lily wrapped her hand up and felt her heartbeat where the cut was as it continued to bleed underneath the wrapped bandaging. "It _is_ deep enough for stitches." She sighed, "It's going to scar." Jesse rolled his eyes, "Don't talk to me about scars."

He pressed his lips together, and held onto his hand as he turned around and kicked the bag as hard as he could.

Jesse was flushed and sweaty from his efforts, "Well," He sighed, "Can't say we didn't try." Lily just nodded. Jesse picked up the variety of tools he'd brought out, "Guess your only hope is that key, where ever it is." He began walking to the back, "Mass is at 5." He shouted without looking back.

Where she thought Cassidy was standing, he was no longer. She turned her head, still no sight of him.

With several hours to go before mass, Lily had time to search high and low for the key. She took the dented and scratched bag and brought it with her to the side of the church were Tulip had told Lily she had parked her truck after borrowing it.

Lily grabbed the keys that were sitting on top of the front tire and hopped in. She stared at her bag and shattered cell phone sitting on the passenger seat at her side and thought for a couple moments. She finally got out, leaving behind her bag, and locking the SUV.

What was strange was how Jesse had such a change of heart. He'd gone from telling her to piss off and forget all about him to helping her out. Sure, it was a compromise and she had to go to church, but _still_. He compromised. All she had to do was behave through mass and he'd talk to her.

What was even more strange to her was how Cassidy hadn't even bothered her the past ten minutes.

She looked around as she approached the front of the church, expecting him to pop out from any shaded corner at any moment. As she was on her way back in the church, she turned and saw the van pulling away, down the dirt road further and further. Lily arched a brow watched as the trail of dust got smaller and further before going back inside.

Spending the next few hours searching every area of the church, she still never found her key, and there was still no sign of Cassidy returning. She wondered what could've pried his attention away from lurking over at every second.

"Lookin' for somethin'?" Emily's voice chimed, breaking Lily's wandering thought. Lily stood up from looking under a pew, "Ya, a little silver key. Seen it?"

Emily shook her head, "No, sorry." Lily nodded and continued searching. "Let you know if I do though." She said. "Thanks." Lily said back.

Lily drove to the hospital and asked if they'd taken it off of by chance, with no luck. She drove back to the church, noticing the sun wasn't nearly as bothersome as it had been early in the day. She'd imagined she'd feel relieved to be left alone, but instead she was beginning to feel more and more anxious.

Pulling back into the church, she saw the van parked back in its spot. In her SUV, she grabbed some clean clothes that Tulip had let her borrow.

Walking up to the front doors of the church she noticed Cassidy standing in the corner, her head was light and it started to spin. "Lily," He said. She closed her eyes, holding her hands out, "I really don't feel well right now, Cassidy." She opened her eyes and saw Cassidy's face straight as he puffed from a cigarette and nodded to the ground.

With urgency she pushed through the front doors and paced towards the back area of the church, heading for the washroom. In the kitchen area was Emily and Jesse. "Hey." Jesse said. "Hey." Lily repeated, her heart racing as she felt herself begin to sweat, "Can I shower here?" Jesse nodded, "We're startin' soon. People will be showin' up here quick." Lily nodded back, "I know." Emily looked between the two of them and pointed, "There's towels in the hall closet." She said with a soft smile. Lily hustled to grab a towel and then to the washroom.

She locked the door behind her and sat on the ground, breathing quick as she turned the bath tap on before climbing into the tub and sitting on the floor of the shower. Lily took off her soppy bandaging on her hand and did her best to keep it as still as possible to make sure the wound didn't re-open.

Lily felt awful, getting first the hot sweats she cranked the shower cold. Then the cold sweats kicked in. She cranked the water hot again. About 15 minutes of back and forth, she knew mass was starting soon and she needed to get it together. She quickly changed into new clothes and braided her hair. Her arms were heavy and she felt drained. She walked out to the kitchen and spotted a first aid kit on top of the fridge, wrapping her hand up before she walked into the church.

As she opened the door, she was surprised of the attendance. She walked towards the back of the church to sit in the very back and be out of the way of everyone - but she wasn't so lucky. Many residents stopped her on her way to introduce themselves, all of which had their opinions of Jesse.

"Your brother has a gift."

"Preacher Custer here always puts on such an inspiring service."

"Annville's lucky to have him."

Lily didn't have any bite in her as she normally would. She politely listened to everyone, not saying much in return as she watched her brother soak it all up. She was oddly submissive to his point he was trying to prove. She looked at her brother standing among everyone his black collared shirt and clean cut hair. Her head was cloudy and she felt lethargic. Finally, mass was about to start and people found their seats - so she made her way to the very back row of pews.

When Jesse had started, it was interesting watching how attentive everyone was. Soon, she was drowning out Jesse's words and completely zoning out. Her arms were crossed and normally, especially in such an uncomfortable seat, her posture would be perfectly straight. But she was lounging back and relaxed - defeated, almost, _Fine,_ she thought, _just leave him here._

A movement caught her eye, she didn't have to look to know it was Cassidy making himself comfortably close at her side, "How's'it goin'?" He asked. She locked her eyes towards Jesse, suddenly feeling more attentive. Cassidy continued to whisper to her, "Need to talk t'ye, n'I need _you_ t'talk t'me."

When she still ignored him, he whistled.

She shot her eyes up, not to Cassidy, but to meet a few other eyes of people who had turned to look back at them. She felt her cheeks get hot with anger and embarrassment as she made eye contact with her brother standing at the front.

Jesse's stare to her was warning, he cleared his throat and continued on. Almost at once, everyone turned back to him.

When there was only Cassidy's set of eyes left on her, Lily turned her head to him, "What?" She hissed, her face immediately dropping as she laid sight of him holding onto her bangle in between his fingers. The key dangled from it.

Cassidy raised his brows, "Bet y'wish ye hadn't been ignorin' me now, then?"


	17. The Realization

Cassidy raised his brows, "Bet y'wish ye hadn't been ignorin' me now, then?" He whispered sourly. As she lunged towards him, the pew they were sitting on screeched against the floor. "Give it to me!" She hissed. He hadn't held it back from her as she snatched the bangle out of his hands. People were shifting their eyes, a couple of indistinct whispers filled the air while glancing back at them.

Jesse felt his blood boil, "Excuse me!" He bellowed, turning everyone's attention back to him, "If sittin' still is too hard, I suggest you leave." He said sternly. Lily sat upright, her eyes met her brothers mortifying glare. She could practically hear him reaming her out already. She took a quick breath before standing up, marched out the doors of the church, the sound of the door slamming echoing through the room. Jesse took a deep breath and cleared his throat, "Pardon the interruption.." He said before continuing. He noticed as he continued, not long after Lily left, Cassidy followed her.

Cassidy grabbed his coat that hung in the doorway, throwing it over him to shade himself, following after her. He listened as he realized she had gone around the side of the church, he followed her steps, slinking to the siding of the building to get as much shade as he could, to the side door. When he walked into the kitchen area, Lily was already storming back towards his way with her SUV keys in hand, not passing him a glance. He held his arm out, "Woah, woah, woah," He whined quietly, "Not even a thank you?"

They could hear Jesse's voice just on the other side of the wall.

Lily glared up to him, "A thank you?" She said between clenched teeth, "You _lied_ to me. You told me you didn't know what happened to my key." She turned her body to him, pointing a stern finger in his face, "I spent the past two days trying _everything_ to get into my bag and all along you-" She clenched her fists and turned away groaning as she paced to the other side of the kitchen in efforts to calm down.

If she started yelling Jesse would come back and crucify her himself.

She realized it was no use, she had the key - she pissed her brother off. There was no reason for her to be at the church anymore. She had to leave. She turned back to head for the door, but Cassidy was right behind her, he threw his hand over her shoulder to hold the door closed. She yanked at the handle but it was no use. She turned back to him, "Fuck off-" She stopped, surprised at his closeness.

"I _didn't_ have it all along," He said sternly and with a bite of irritation, "I jus' _found_ the bloody thing, which y'could've known sooner if y'hadn't spent every chance ignorin' me." She stared up to him with her eyes narrow, "Where did you find it?" She asked.

"I figured I must've not noticed it while I was cleanin' up." He explained. She continued to stare skeptically, "I went back t'where I buried all those bastards n'dug til I found it." "When did you do that?" She interrogated. "This entire afternoon!" He hissed. Her eyebrows slowly released from their scrunched state. Her mouth stayed straight, and felt the corner of it twitch. He'd gone in the dead of day, under the extreme discomfort of the sun just on the possibility the key may have been there? She stared at the bangle in her hand.

The muffled sound of Jesse on the other side of the wall was the only thing cutting the silence, until Cassidy spoke again, noticing the defeat in her face as her stubbornness melted away and her energy neutralized.

"If there's nothin' goin' on between us," He growled lowly, "Why are y'avoidin' me like the plague, then?"

She raised her shoulders as she sighed, her starring into his equally as hard stare hidden behind his sunglasses. Her being was with torn emotions.

Cassidy was right. She _was_ ignoring him like the plague. She was acting like a child. Lily cleared her throat, "You're the reason I lost this, anyways." She said sourly, her stubbornness taking over again. Cassidy pulled his head back and scrunched his face and grinned in disbelief, " _Reeeally_?" She nodded keeping her face straight, "Really." She grabbed the door handle.

"Yer brother was right about yew." He said, inching closer to her ear. She shook her head and raised her brows, as if she was uninterested, but he clearly had her attentikon. Cassidy peaked his eyes over his shades down at her, "That innocent mask y'had jus' a coupla days ago is long gone." Lily scoffed and extended her arms out to push him out of the way of the door, but he only pushed closer, practically pinning her in the corner of the fridge and doorway.

"No," He growled, "I'm done bein' ignored. Yer gonna talk t'me." He grabbed her wrist of her injured hand that had held onto the doorknob and pushed her back, she gasped at his quick and dauntless movement, her brows furrowed and in an instant her tough front melted away, feeding into his.

His grip around her wrist was tight, and she was positive if he squeezed any harder she would snap beneath his grasp. He looked at her eyes soften in surprise of his actions, and she got light headed again. Her last bit of bite and confidence had failed miserably. "Get wot y'want n'leave," Cassidy remembered Jesse warning him. He asked coldly, "Yer brother is all y'ever wanted from me, right?"

She swallowed, his sudden change of tone catching her off guard as she was not sure what the right answer was. But she didn't have to speak for Cassidy to understand at least a little bit what was going on here. As she stood before him - she was quiet, out of breath and obviously flustered. Her tough front and fiery bite to her tone was entirely extinguished.

There was an obvious tension that burned that wasn't there before, and Cassidy knew it sure as Hell wasn't his personality or looks that played into it. The friction between them only happened after he'd laced her water with his blood. Since then, it had been a whirlwind of emotions. He was so close to her she could smell the delicious scent - the one that had driven her so crazy to begin with. Cassidy should've smelt like the stale cigarette smoke and sour booze he had when she first met him - but since she'd tasted his blood, she'd picked up an entirely different scent on him. She shook her head, her cheeks getting hot with the thoughts in her mind.

Her throat was completely dry and she struggled to get words out. Barely breathing, Lily whispered quietly, while at the same time trying to maintain a strong tone, "I don't know what I want." She admitted. Cassidy talked so quietly it was hard to tell if he was really talking or just mouthing the words, "I think yer full of shit. I think y'know _exactly_ wot y'want." He pulled on her wrist to bring her into him and it took minimal effort to persuade her lips to his.

In an instant she was wrapped all around him again - her brother's muffled voice on the other side of the building fading away quickly as her mind was completely consumed in the familiar haze it was just the night before. He reached his hands down and lifted her up, her legs wrapping around his waist as he pushed her back against the side of the refrigerator.

She clawed her hands into his hair and pulled him in towards her, encouraging him to continue further on the path he was going. Eventually, she was past the making out and feeling up phase and was wondering what was taking him so long to advance things. Surely he was enjoying the denim barrier of both of their pants as much as she was. Little did she know - that was his entirely intent, waiting for her to claw down at his pants. She kept her lips busy against his, clawing open his button of his jeans. He pulled his waist back a bit, making it harder for her to strip him of his jeans.

With reluctance, she pulled her lips from his, "Cassidy-" She whispered with a frustrated huff, pulling him closer to her again, "Ah!" He said, his lips still touching hers as he spoke, "I want you to remember this moment fer when y'try t'use it against me right away." He stated mischievously pressing his lips hard against hers again as he dropped his pants for her.

"Hm-" Lily groaned, pulling her lips from his as she tried to catch her breath, "So this-" He kissed her again and pushed harder against her, making it more difficult to concentrate on her words as she pulled her lips away again, " This is just you trying to prove a point?" She panted. "No, but I did, didn't I?" He grinned, "That's just a bonus." He began lifting her shirt before he worked on getting her pants undone.

Suddenly the door from the church to the community area opened. In a fluster, Cassidy stepped away from the fridge, lowering Lily down and causing her to find her feet on the ground again while she reefed her top down and clawed her hands threw her hair in attempts to sort it. Cassidy yanked his pants back up, his eyes on the person who'd stepped in. Lily was terrified it had been Jesse, but his voice was slowly being processed in her head again - he was still leading mass. Lily's lipstick was smudged all over his face mostly, but hers as well.

She turned, peering around the refrigerator to see Emily stopping in her tracks, "Oh!" She caught a glance of Cassidy in the middle of yanking his pants up and she quickly lifted her hand up to shield her vision, "Sorry-" She stated sheepishly, making her way down the hallway to the washroom. Lily's eyes followed her as she closed her eyes and took a breath, her legs shaking a bit at the crash in heavy momentum. Cassidy could hear her heart racing, he leaned towards her, "Well... she fer _sure_ knows yer not me friend now." He chuckled quietly.

With a deep breath, Lily wiped around her mouth and watched him walk to the side of the kitchen. Almost as if in one smooth motion, he grabbed an unmarked bottle and poured some of the dark red liquid into a glass before he grabbed a knife, pricking the top of his finger.

She watched as a single drop of his blood fell into the glass. As her mouth watered, Lily pressed against the door behind her. He left the glass on the kitchen table, as he walked towards her she felt a wave of adrenaline hit her head to toe, unsure of what his next move would be.

Her cheeks were burning and she felt all of her blood at the surface of her skin. He leaned even closer to her, "Shame if y'scarred yer pretty little hand." She continued to stare at him with impotent eyes. With his mouth framed with a mess of her lipstick, he flashed his teeth at her with a devilish grin and threw the jacket over himself before grabbing at the doorknob. Her eyes followed him as she squinted at the brightness of the outside while he backed out of the doorway. It was as if her heart had stopped that entire encounter, because now, all she could hear was in her ears was her heart racing. Her eyes flickered to the glass on the table, and she walked up to it, the wood floor creaking beneath her.

She grabbed her truck keys and bangle with one hand, and the glass in the other. Pulling it to her mouth, the familiar sensation overcoming her. She could hear everyone in the church breathing, she could hear Jesse as if he was preaching directly in her ear, and she could smell all sorts of new scents. As Lily finished off the laced red wine quickly, cranking her neck and lifting it all the way in the above her until the last drop fell, Emily walked out of the washroom, not daring look her way as she scuttled back into the church.

Lily dragged her two fingers in the glass, licking them with closed eyes as she rolled her head. Leaving the glass as clean as it was before there was anything in it, she ran out the door to her truck, where Tulip had returned it, braving the sun until she got behind her trucks tinted windows. She started it, glancing at her bag in the passenger seat.

She threw the truck in gear and felt the tires spin on the sandy road, she rolled down her window, unraveling her bandages from her hand and throwing them out.

Standing at the front of the doors, leaning against the wall was Cassidy. For once, not concerned about going after her - after the confirmation she'd just given him. Sure, he had to literally corner her, and she didn't say more than a few words, but nonetheless, it was good enough for Cassidy.

He smiled with a cigarette between his lips as he came to the realization that, for once, he wouldn't need to do all of the chasing.


	18. Angel Clones

Lily drove like a bat out of Hell. She sped as quickly from the church as possible, not wanting to take the chance of reliving the incident at Tulips. In her mind she had flashes of how completely insane she must have looked jumping on Cassidy like that, not admiring the idea of losing control like that again, while at the same time resisting the urge to crank her steering wheel and turn back.

Cassidy watched as the dust that was lifted from Lily's tires dissipated, and waited contently outside for mass to be over as his mind wandered. Eventually, people started walking out of the church doors. He pressed his lips in a line and nodded at the people leaving as they side eyed him.

When everyone was gone, he walked in, and up to his self-claimed abode, quickly changing before deciding to go find Jesse. Not to apologize for being such a distraction, but for justifying _why._ By delivering the, hopefully, mood neutralizing good news that his sister had her key back. In Cassidy's mind, Jesse would be relieved and understanding. They'd share a laugh over a couple of beers, before Cassidy would tell him about the past few days.

It didn't feel right to Cassidy that Jesse didn't know about what was going on with him and Lily. He owed it to Jesse, Hell, he owed it to _himself_ , to come clean - about everything.

Unfortunately, Cassidy didn't have any time to even find Jesse to make that fluffy daydream a reality. Cassidy had found himself a front row view to something he really wish he hadn't. In silence, he watched from the balcony above the church as Jesse used Genesis to send Eugene to Hell. Without making himself noticed, Cassidy watched as Jesse walked away, entirely poised and seemingly remorseless.

Cassidy's heart sank and his motive shifted. He waited to hear Jesse leave before bundling up and hopping into the van.

It didn't take long until he found her out-of-place SUV in the small shop area of the tiny town, if you could even call it a town. He parked in front of a creaky run down building, and heard her voice.

" _Sol-der_ ," Lily said slowly and impatiently, "You know, as in _solder_ it. Onto my wrist." She held the bangle out to the metal worker in the tiny shop she had found.

She had leaned one hand on the counter, her shoulder raised as she held the bangle bracelet and key in the metalworkers face. She peaked her eyes over the frames of the sunglasses she had stolen from her brother. The man looked more than confused, "Sorry m'am, but we can't do that service here..." She huffed, tromping away dramatically from the metal worker and towards the door. As she opened it, she stopped in her tracks, staring at the van. Cassidy stepped out, closing the door behind him as he kept bundled up, his hood still on even in the shade.

Lily wasn't even a little surprised to see Cassidy. It had been a good hour since she left the church, and by now she knew that was too long to not be bothered by him. Though the intense high she felt at first wasn't nearly as strong, she still didn't have trust. She didn't get closer to him, but she didn't need to know he was disturbed. She shook her head with her arms crossed, taking a deep breath, as she shoved her bangle and key into her pocket, "What now?"

Cassidy scrunched his face, his hands on his hips, "Y'ever met an Angel clone?"

* * *

He wouldn't tell her what his problem was. He told her that it would be easier to just show her. So, she had made it clear that she would follow him to whatever it was he _needed_ to show her - in _her_ vehicle _separately._ And that was that.

She drove behind as she watched him pull into the Sundowner Motel. Lily scoffed, assuming it was some ridiculous joke. He walked out of the van, slinking into the shadows of the motel walls. He turned to her, his shoulders hunched, hands shoved into his pockets, and his face flat, "C'mon!" He raised his brows impatiently.

Lily sat in the vehicle, rolling down her window, "Why are we back _here_?"

He grinned, "Ohh, wot's-a-matter?" He said, "Don' wanna spend another night 'ere?"

Lily wasn't sure to take him serious or not. He shook his head, his face dropping again as he stomped his cigarette out, "Nah, I'm jus' takin' a piss. Seriously. I'ave somethin' t'show ye. C'mon." He walked down the outdoor hallway, and she let some space get between them before she finally got out of the vehicle. Stepping out of the shield of the tinted windows of her SUV, the sunlight was more bothersome again but she felt much better than she had earlier.

She wasn't sure whether to be thankful of that or not. She looked at her healed hand, thankful for _that_ at least. Her brows scrunched and eyes were squinted even behind the sunglasses she had on. She followed Cassidy down the hallway until he stopped at a door. She looked up to him, and he flashed his eyes over his shades down at her, "Now. Don't. Panic." He said lowly.

He motioned for her to step back away from the door, "I'll grab y'inna minute." Her brow furrowed in confusion, afraid of what they might find on the other side of the door. When Cassidy knocked, the door opened almost immediately, "Howzit, fellas." She heard Cassidy ask as he walked in.

"Where's Preacher?" A voice asked impatiently, "We're gettin' close to resorting to plan B."

Cassidy laughed through his nose, "Hmph. Don't think we should go with the whole chainsaw thing, t'was a terrible idea d'first time, s'not gonna be a winner the second, either."

 _Chainsaw_?..

She wasn't able to resist her curiosity. She peaked through the window of the hotel room, seeing two very familiar men. With no restraint, she threw the door open. Suddenly she realized why Cassidy told her not to panic. Lily stared at not one man, but two.

 _The_ two.

The men that she had seen in her vision that brought her to Annville in the first place. Her first reaction was to grab her gun that was tucked her her jacket, it was the first thing she'd grabbed from her bag. She held it out with one hand in front of her. Neither of the two men flinched and Cassidy shook his head at her, "Lily - it's fine."

"Who's this?" The taller one asked nonchalantly, pointing at Lily with his thumb.

"She's 'ere t'help." Cassidy clarified, who'd already made himself comfortable sitting on the side of the bed. Lily closed the door behind her with her foot. "Why's she pointin' a gun at us, then?" The shorter one said, unimpressed.

Cassidy lifted his head, "She's got some-" Lily interrupted Cassidy as she shot two bullets back to back, grazing each of them in between their legs, much too close to their scrotums, the silencer on the end of the pistol proving to be a good investment. "..trust issues." Cassidy finished with a groan, "Jaysus, Lily." She stormed towards them as they each fell to the ground, grabbing their crotches and wincing in pain. She pointed the gun at the one's head, "What did you say about a chainsaw?" She asked in a quiet, yet chilling, tone.

Cassidy stepped to her side as he attempted to grab the gun out of her hand. "Gimme the gun." He said sternly, holding a hand out. She scrunched her brows stubbornly, "No." Cassidy pulled his head back, raising his brows and pointing at her, "Jus'. Gimme the gun, Lily." He hissed between his teeth lowly.

She shook her head boldly, "You better just shut the fuck up and tell me what the Hell is going-" Cassidy didn't have the patience he normally would to argue, so instead, he decided to stoop down to her level of over-dramatics and just prove his point already. He looked down to one of the men quickly, before diving towards his neck. The man screamed. As he'd landed on the ground, he had used his other hand to clench the other man's throat at his side.

Lily's face dropped and she flinched back, watching as Cassidy ripped the mans skin apart while his hand was wrapped around other man's throat on the ground beside him. She felt herself get shaky, the same way she felt when she thought Cassidy was dead in the church, only to see him lunge up to the man's gaping wound on his neck.

It was as if she was being brought back to standing in the middle of the church as she watched him. The sounds, the smell. The last time she felt like this she was swept off her feet and nearly killed. She overcame the feeling very quickly. "Cassidy!" She bravely choked out, placing her gun back in her side under her jacket and lunging forward to grab Cassidy's shoulders. She was trying desperately to yank him off, and it proved to be little use, but that didn't stop her from trying.

"Don't!" She yelled over the man screaming and Cassidy's growling.

Why was he killing them? She needed to know more about these men, why they wanted to kill Jesse. They knew things about him that she didn't. Cassidy growled as his face was buried in the massacre. The man's eyes were bugging out of his skull as Cassidy drained him, the other man was turning purple from Cassidy's grasp.

Lily pulled at Cassidy as hard as she could, "Stop! Stop!" She said with a clenched voice, the other man who Cassidy was choking was kicking, and managed to knock out Lily's knees.

She yelped as she lost grasp of Cassidy's shoulders and stumbled to his side, landing top of Cassidy's arm that was choking the other man, a forceful blow that should've been enough to at the very least cause Cassidy to let go, but he didn't seem at all phased. Lily however, landed on her wrist in a very awkward manner. Her wrist popped, and she winced, which caught Cassidy's immediate attention.

He lifted his head off of his prey, breathing heavily. As Cassidy had unlatched from the mans throat, his neck spewed out an impressive amount of blood.

Lily scrunched her face as it sprayed her, thankful at least her eyes were shielded by the sunglasses she wore. It didn't make it any less gross, though. She reached to Cassidy's shoulders and turned to him, pulling her face into his chest, finding herself in the middle of the crazy mess. Cassidy let go of the other man he choked with his hand, and wrapped both of his arms around her, lifting them both up to their feet, away from the shower of blood. The man was gurgling as his blood spurted.

"Are y'hurt?" He asked in a low growl. She looked up to him, unable to hide how awestruck she was, as she stared at the blood pouring out his mouth and running down his neck. Her hands fell from the grip of his shoulders down to his chest. His arms were still wrapped around her as she finally pulled her eyes away from all the blood to look up at him. Though his sunglasses still covered them, she could picture his eyes.

And in that moment, she had the most odd conflict of emotions. How could she feel annoyed by his careless self, his character comparable to a clown in her eyes at one second, and then feel completely in awe of him the next second? While his being, to her, was complex, he himself was actually very simple. Cassidy didn't hide anything about him. He was an open book that read itself out loud.

From behind Lily the other man who Cassidy was choking was scrambling onto his feet, clawing towards them. Cassidy leaned to his side, looking behind her.

In one motion, he moved his hand from her lower back, dragging it to her side, grabbing the gun he held it straight out and shot the man in the head as he stood up. Lily turned and watched as the man fell back to the floor with a heavy thud, at the same time Cassidy shot the other man in the head, stopping the last of the mans gurgling.

Lily hardly had time to think before there was a flash from the washroom behind Cassidy. She pushed away from him to his side, and to her surprise, the two men walked out in perfect condition. She shot her eyes back to the corpses on the floor then back at the direction of their untouched copies.

"Give us one good reason not to-." One of the men said, fixing his shirt cuff, walking towards her.

Cassidy stepped in front of her, his hands out in front of him, "Woah, woah, woah. Y'try t'lay a finger on 'er, and I won't be kind enough t'let y'die, then."

There was silence."Was jus' tryin' t'prove a point is'all." Cassidy said, dropping his hands, "She's Jesse's bloody sister." He said quite literally, wiping his face with his sleeve. The two men stared at him skeptically.

"His _sister_?" One of them said.

"We don't need 'is _sister_. We need ' _im_!" The other one raised his voice annoyingly.

Cassidy sparked a cigarette, which was quickly painted red by the blood from his fingers, "Well. Get _**this**_ ," He said inhaling and lifting his head, "It doesn't work on 'er." He exhaled a puff of smoke and raised his brows.

The taller man shook his head, "What doesn't work on 'er?"

Cassidy smiled, his mouth stained red, "Genesis." He dragged from his cigarette again, talking with it between his lips, "Doesn't work on 'er." He repeated. The men sent identical glances at Lily, "That's not possible," One of them said. Cassidy exhaled, "Well it's true."

Lily felt a lump in her throat, she stood at Cassidy's side, taking off the shades on her face, leaving a perfect outline of the sunglasses, the rest of her face coated with a splatter of red. Her eyebrows were raised as she stared first at Cassidy then to the two men, "What the Hell is going on?" She asked breathlessly.

"I'm DeBlanc. This is Fiore. We left Heaven, without permission might I add, to get Genesis back. Out of your brother and back where Genesis belongs." DeBlanc said.

"And if we don't get it back soon, we are _all_ in very big trouble." Fiore noted. Lily stared up to Cassidy as he dragged from his cigarette, pulling it from his mouth and crossing his arms with a sigh. She dropped her shoulders and raised her brows at him.

Cassidy nodded, "Angel clones."


	19. Severe Consequences

Lily requested DeBlanc to go to the front desk to request more towels - a _lot_ more towels. To her joyous relief, he pulled in a whole housekeeping trolley he'd found just outside the room.

In the room at the Sundowner Motel, Fiore and DeBlanc explained in perfect detail to Lily that they had tried multiple times (and ways) to get Genesis out of Jesse. They talked about the night that Lily saw in her vision, which Cassidy had explained the first time him and Lily had met, but everything seemed in full circle now.

While the explanation was happening, Lily had been mostly listening from the washroom, with Cassidy standing at the doorway, watching her as she rinsed off the best she could in the little dingy sink. He saw her struggle with her wrist, "Yer hurt." He whispered, while Fiore and DeBlanc continued talking. She pressed her lips into a forceful smile as looked at him in the mirror in front of her, "I'm fine." She continued to dab the cloth around her face.

She looked at the blood stained cloth and tossed it into the bathtub beside her, onto the giant pile of blood-soiled towels.

Lily scrunched her face at it before grabbing a new cloth and dampening it beneath the running water before continuing to wipe the last of the mess off of her sunglasses that she'd stolen from Jesse.

Cassidy reached at her side and grabbed the glass that sat next to the sink and filled it with water in front of her. She held her breath and froze in place with the cloth on her face as she watched him place a finger in his mouth and hardly grazing his teeth with the very tip of his finger, letting a single drop fall into the water. It turned deep maroon.

She didn't move at all, except her eyes, which followed him as he placed the glass back beside her on the sink. He turned to walk out, "N'case ye'change yer mind about bein' fine." He said quietly.

She _was_ fine. But she couldn't resist.

Her cheeks got hot and her mouth watered. In any other circumstance she wouldn't touch anything but bottled water. But this wasn't any other circumstance. When he was hardly out of sight she dropped the cloth in her hand and grabbed the glass, downing it.

She cleared her throat as she felt the effects hit her immediately. Taking a slight glance at the savage that stared back at her in the mirror, she splashed more water on her face and walked back into the room, everything suddenly much brighter, clearer and louder. "I'm done in there." The sound of her own voice was even different. She raised her eyes to Cassidy, still covered in blood, before throwing her sunglasses back on, "Go clean up." And he listened, a smirk across his lips as he walked to the washroom.

"You were saying?" She asked Fiore, sitting on the edge of the bed across from where they stood, trying hard to concentrate on them and only them and not everything else she was so suddenly more aware of.

The conversation carried on with Fiore and DeBlanc, in the middle of it, Lily's phone rang in her pocket. Cassidy perked up from the washroom, leaning back from the sink, his brow arched as he noticed Lily grab her phone and her fingers quickly moved around the screen before placing it back in her pocket. He noticed it was new. Not the smashed up one he had given back to her. She ignored Cassidy's stare as she asked Fiore and DeBlanc to continue.

Cassidy had done a quicker (and far less proper) clean up than she did. Her heart raced as Cassidy made himself comfortable sitting on the bed beside her. It was already hard to focus on the information she was receiving, to make matters worse he was invading her personal bubble.

"Do you mind?" She hissed at him. "Wot?" He asked, confused. "Give me some space to breathe." She scooted over. Cassidy raised a brow, he was on the complete other side of the bed. There had been a good 6 feet between them and she had scooted another couple. He peaked over his sunglasses, "Wot are y'talkin' about?"

Apparently, she felt a lot closer than they actually were. She turned back to Fiore and DeBlanc, clearing her throat and nonchalantly dismissing her misunderstanding, "Why my brother?" She had asked.

"We don't know." They both said.

They told Lily that they'd told Jesse all of this, and warned him that there would be severe consequences, but Jesse wasn't phased. Lily wasn't surprised by that. Fiore warned Lily that if Jesse didn't co-operate soon that they would have to take 'extreme measures', a statement to which DeBlanc gave Fiore a nasty look, before DeBlanc countered his partners words with assurance to Lily that he was sure there was no need for those extreme measures.

"Why doesn't Genesis work on me?" To which, again the both of them claimed not to know. This time, even though their response was identical to the answer of her last question, Lily knew it wasn't genuine, since they weren't very sly at exchanging suspicious looks.

To top that all off, the two of them were now supposedly being tracked down for being on Earth without proper permission to be.

Lily stared at the bed she sat on, laying a hand on the scratchy, old linens. The room was an mirror image copy of the room her and Cassidy had spent in together. Suddenly, her mind was slipping away as she zoned out. Flashes of her and Cassidy fogged her mind, the voices of Fiore and Deblanc muffled as her thought wandered into a hazy distraction. Her mouth watered as she played through her head what would happen if she just decided to jump on Cassidy right now. Maybe Fiore and DeBlanc would just leave. Maybe it wouldn't even bother her if they didn't...

"Are we clear?" Fiore's voice was raised, pulling her out of the twisted moment she was having in her mind. Lily raised her eyebrows, sitting up straight,"Ya," She said, "Get Genesis out of my brother. Extreme measures. Consequences." Her heart was nearly beating out of her chest.

" _Severe_ consequences." Fiore clarified.

"Right - _Severe_ consequences." Lily repeated shortly, staring at the clone bodies on the ground, "Got it." Lily stood up, and like her shadow, Cassidy did too. "You alright?" He whispered. She swallowed, "Yea." He flashed his eyes above his frames and pointed down at the two clone corpses. He looked below their groins were she'd shot identically, "Great shot." He noted.

Her eyes flickered up to him, her brows narrow, "What are you talking about?" She shrugged her shoulders, as she grabbed the sunglasses from her pocket, "I was off." She glanced coldly to the Angel duo, "Won't happen again." She threatened lightly, " _Don't_ lay a finger on my brother." She pointed at them with the sunglasses in her hand, and they didn't say anything, "We'll get that thing out of him." She threw the shades over her eyes.

Her phone began to vibrate, she grabbed it from her pocket and walked out the door, heading towards the SUV, "I'll call you right back." She said in a whisper, before throwing it back in her pocket. With her heart still racing the way it was, she was afraid she was going to go into cardiac arrest.

Cassidy was behind her, "Lily," He said.

She turned around on the spot. He was all bundled again, under his hood with his hands in his pockets, "You got a new phone?.. N'yer gun." He noted. She glanced to her side, "Shh." Her eyes were wide as she stepped closer to him, "God, you just talk about whatever, wherever, don't you?" She hissed quietly. He stepped even closer to her, "Well, y'don't really ever gimme a chance t'talk t'ye.."

She held her hands up to shut him up, grabbed her keys, and unlocked her SUV, "Get in." She turned the key in the ignition, blasting the air conditioner since she was so incredibly flushed for more reasons than the weather.

Leaning back in the leather seat, she closed her eyes - trying to pretend she didn't feel as light headed as she really did. With a huff, she spoke, "How the Hell are we going to get that thing out of Jesse." She groveled. "Lily," Cassidy said. She turned her head to him. How easy would it be to just jump over and straddle him? How good would it feel to just give in? No one would even see behind the completely tinted windows. At this point, she really didn't care if anyone even did.

"I have somethin' else t'tell ye." His voice said in the back of her mind. She closed her eyes, "Hm." She hummed.

"Lily." He said louder, pulling her out of her daze, "Are y'listenin' t'me?" She opened her eyes stared at him in front of her before she pushed her sunglasses up with her hands and rubbed her eyes, trying to wipe away the dirty images that were coming into her mind. Lily groaned, and with a clenched voice she groveled, "What, Cassidy. What?" Her words were muffled by her hands still on her face.

He stared at her, his brows furrowed, "K," He started, "I know y've had t'take a lot in the past few days." "Hmph!" Her shoulders lifted as she laughed while she kept her hands on her eyes. "But I saw somethin' _real_ wrong." She dragged her hands from her eyes and squinted at him, her sunglasses falling back onto her nose.

"After y'left earlier, I waited 'til mass was over t'go inside th'church. From upstairs I saw somethin' very worrisome, I did." His lips were flat. Lily's brow went narrow and she gave her head a shake, "What?"

Cassidy huffed, "Yer brother. I saw 'im send that Arse-faced kid t'Hell. With Genesis."

Lily's eyes went wide and body went stiff as she leaned away from him, "What?" She said remarkably, "You're _sure_ that's-?!" "Yes!" He interrupted her. Her ears rang as she tried to process Cassidy's explanation.

Lily collapsed back in her drivers seat, "Huh." She said, "Hell?"

Cassidy nodded, "That's wot I'm assumin', anyway. The kid disappeared. Nowhere t'be found." She stayed still. Cassidy leaned closer to her, "D'ya think he meant to?" He asked, "I mean, he seemed pretty fine with 'imself." Lily shook her head, "I don't know," She said, staring blankly out the windshield, her hands on the wheel. I'm starting to think I don't know _anything_ about Jesse anymore." She said in a gloomy tone, "It's going to be a real treat trying to convince him to get Genesis out." There was a minute of silence as Cassidy gave Lily a moment to digest while his mind raced about it's own things.

"We need to find Tulip." Lily continued shortly after,"What has she said about this whole Genesis thing?" She turned back to Cassidy, "I didn't realize how serious this was before, otherwise I would've talked to her about it earlier but given everything that I've just found out I-" Lily stopped when she saw how stiff Cassidy suddenly looked.

"Cassidy.." She said.

He fidgeted, "I know yer brother hasn't told her. And I _tried_ t'tell 'er.."

" _What_?!" Lily shrieked, "Cas-si-dy!" She said dramatically, " _Please_ tell me you're joking?!"

"I bloody tried, alright?!" He said heatedly, "She doesn't believe _anythin_ ' I say." He threw a hand out before crossing his arms, "I could tell 'er the sky's blue n'she wouldn't believe me. Yer one of the first people t'take my word for a long time."

Lily raised her brows, "That's _very_ concerning on my part."

"Excuse me!" He whined, "I've been nothin' but honest. _You_ of all people know that." He pointed at her defensively. She lowered her eyes and glared out the window. "So, then," He continued, "Somethin' we can agree on is that we need t'get yer brother t'get rid o'this _thing_ inside o'im, right?"

Lily nodded.

Cassidy sighed, "Well, I've been tryin' for a while now n'nothin' makes 'im see that."

Lily took her phone out quickly called Tulip, "Where are you?" She asked when Tulip answered. "Headed to the church." Tulip said, Why?" Lily threw the SUV into reverse, "Meet you there." She hung up the phone and Cassidy looked around, "Wot are y'doin'? Wot about the van?" He stuck his thumb back to the communal church van he'd helped himself to that was parked just behind them.

"Fuck it. We'll worry about it later. Right now, we need to meet Tulip and tell her everything."


	20. One More Day

When they arrived at the church, Tulips car wasn't there, which meant she wasn't there yet. Both Lily and Cassidy walked into the church through the side door. Inside, Jesse and Emily were in the kitchen. Lily looked to Jesse, who huffed, leaning back to the kitchen sink.

"Jesse, I'm sorry about earlier, but I have a really good reason." Lily assured. Jesse nodded and bit his tongue, not turning to her, "I'm sure you do." He mumbled. Lily sighed, getting closer to him, "Listen," He didn't look back at her, "Jesse." He threw down the dish he had in his hand and it broke against the bottom of the sink.

Emily was the only one who flinched, and she quickly found herself leaving the kitchen. Lily crossed her arms and she felt Cassidy standing close behind her. "Padre," Cassidy said softly, "I might 'ave been a big part of the equation earlier.." He admitted, to which Lily turned her head to look up at him, her eyes widened, "Found 'er key n'thought it would be funny t'wave it in 'er face. Push 'er buttons a bit, y'know? She's jus so uptight n'that n'I thought she'd cut loose a bit n'ave a bit of-a laugh, but y'obviously saw it did the exact opposite."

Jesse looked at Cassidy, his body still facing the sink. "Didn't mean t'make a scene like it did." Cassidy stated. His eyes moved from Cassidy's to Lily's. She didn't know what to say, but she was thankful Cassidy took almost the entire blame. "Hm," Jesse said, turning back to the two of them, "Well. Though I appreciate the apology, it was still very selfish the way you both acted." Lily rolled her eyes.

Her blood boiled, and she was far past the apologetic strategy that Cassidy and her had started with, "From what I hear you haven't been the most selfless person, either." She stated. Jesse squinted annoyingly and shook his head, "Oh, Christ, Lily, what the Hell is that suppose to mean?! I'm tryin' to make up for my past. At least I _am_ tryin'. I don't see you doin' anythin' for anyone but yourself. I'm not the man I was-"

Lily raised her voice the slightest, talking in a sharp hiss, "I'm not talking about the past, Jesse." She spat, her eyes burning into his as he stopped talking, "Cassidy said he watched you send someone to Hell after mass. Is that true?" She hoped not, but when Jesse's face dropped and he had nothing to spit back with it made her heart sink.

There was silence.

"Oh." Jesse said simply. Lily raised her brows, "Oh? Just, ' _Oh_ '?" Cassidy was just as upset as Lily was that he could be so nonchalant about the situation, but Cassidy knew Lily attacking him wasn't going to make it any better. "Listen, Padre," Cassidy said, reaching out to grab his shoulder, "We're not judgin' y'man, we jus gotta know wot t'do t'help y'out is'all." Jesse stared from Cassidy to Lily.

Lily noticed Jesse's glance move past her. She turned to see Emily standing in the doorway, "Uh- We're ready for you... whenever you are." She said, her being so fragile it looked as if you could break her just by giving her a wrong look. "I'll be right there." Jesse assured. He looked back to the two of them staring at him, "Bible study. Can we talk about this later?" He asked, as if it was a choice.

Both Lily and Cassidy didn't say anything and watched him walk into the other room, and it sounded like there was quite the crowd waiting for him.

Lily sighed, "This ' _Genesis_ ' is bad. Really bad." Cassidy nodded, "Very. Not t'be foked with, that's fer damn sure." He lit a cigarette as he leaned against the fridge beside her. Her arms were crossed and she looked to the floor, "He didn't seem very worried about it." She stated. Cassidy exhaled, "No, he didn't, did he?" They were both disturbed by Jesse's reaction.

He turned his head to her, and she looked up to him. "What?" She asked almost immediately. He took a quick breath, "I've never had someone take everythin' I say serious. Why is that?" Lily furrowed her brows annoyingly, and he was pretty sure it was about time she lost her patience and stormed off, ignoring any conversation with him as she normally did, "Why is that... what?" She asked. "That you believe me. Everybody else ignores every damn thing I say."

Lily sighed. Cassidy had proven his intentions for Jesse were the same as hers were. The least she could do was humor his innocent question, "The night I first got here, you said you'd find Jesse for me. And you did." There was a tone in her voice that was foreign to Cassidy, "Then he fucked off, and you brought Tulip to me." She shook her head to him, "Then you described my vision _so_ perfectly. I hadn't told _anyone_." Lily looked at the ground, "Sometimes instinct just tell you to trust someone." She stated simply.

Cassidy thought on that for a moment.

"Y'know," He said lowly, taking a last drag of his cigarette before tossing it in a nearby bottle."I hate not bein' trusted. N'right now, I jus' feel like Jesse can't 'ave full trust in me, n'I don't _want_ t'be a bad friend to 'im." He said with such guilt that even Lily felt bad, "I jus' don' like lyin' to 'im." Lily swallowed, wondering why Cassidy felt such a need to let it be known he was a vampire. "Why does it bother you so much for him to know?" Lily asked gently, "It's none of his business, anyway." Cassidy face was disgruntled, "I know y'say that but..." He sighed, "Jus' doesn't feel right he doesn't know."

Lily nodded sympathetically and pressed her lips together, "If I'm being honest, I don't think now's the best time. Jesse isn't... himself." She practically whispered, her eyes were soft. He couldn't help but lean closer to her, "I'm tellin' 'im, Lily. I got to. But before I do there's somethin' else."

Cassidy grabbed her hands and she nearly flinched at his touch, his skin was burning hot.

He leaned in and brought his hands up to her face as he kissed her. She found her arms around his neck almost immediately, as if by routine. He pulled away abruptly and she felt her face was flush as she was at a loss for breath. Her heart pounded and her stomach fluttered with excitement. Her voice was foreign to her, even, "What's that something else?" Her eyes flickered to the fridge not far behind him, imagining he was about to finish what they'd started earlier.

practically whimpered as she brought her mouth back up to his, it was torture to wait any longer. She'd wanted it since she first had a taste, she just couldn't admit. Cassidy pulled his lips away again, and she kept her eyes closed as she leaned towards them again.

"I'm in love with you Lily." He said.

Lily froze on the spot, her eyes opening and her stomach turn.. _That_ was the something else?! She struggled to swallow, and her face didn't move as she looked up at him, their lips practically still touching, "What?" Her voice wavered and she pulled her head back a bit, studying his face.

"I'm in love with-" "SH!" Lily slapped her hand over his mouth, their arms still around each other.

Lily felt a hot flash as she blinked, "Cassidy.." She hoped he was about to burst into laughter and tell her he was just pulling a sick joke. He moved his head, releasing his mouth from her hand, his gentle tone proving otherwise to her hopes, "I couldn't tell Jess I was in love with 'is sister without tellin' her first." He stated. His voice was so soft and genuine that it made Lily ill, believing he wasn't joking and that he actually meant it. Her brows narrowed as anger began to take over, " _That's_ what you were talking about just now?!" She said unbelievably. "Yea!" Cassidy declared, and then his shoulders dropped, realizing her shift in mood, "Wottdid'ya think I was goin' t'tell 'im?" He leaned back from her to look at her face better.

Lily arched a brow and she spoke slowly, "That you're a _vampire_." She pushed further away from him, her arms sliding off of him and his unraveling from around her. He groaned, dragging a hand through his hair as he stared at the ground, "Goin' on about _that_ again." She shook her head, "I can't believe you were actually going to tell Jesse that you-" She couldn't even repeat it. Cassidy suddenly fed off her fury, "Why does it matter so damn much t'yew whether he knows!? I told ya I told 'im. Not my fault if he didn't believe me!" He countered.

With a mocking manner, Lily scoffed as Cassidy glared daggers at her.

"Y'know wot?" He spat back at her, throwing an arm outward, "How about I'll make _sure_ Jesse knows what I am, and _when. I. Do_." He pointed a finger towards the room just down the hall Jesse had stepped into, "He's not goin' t'give a flyin' fiery shite, and when I've proven that t'you _,_ I'm goin' t'tell 'im straight after about you n'I."

"Do you have a death wish, Cassidy?" Lily said with her arms crossed, keeping her distance from him, "Because I can't think of which one of those _stupid_ ideas is more of a threat to your life." She was trying to stay calm on the outside, regardless of the entire panic happening on the inside, "Cassidy... once Tulip gets here things are going to get really fucked. I'm telling her about Genesis." She raised her brow, "About Jesse sending that kid to Hell. _Everything_." Her eyes were grave as she tried her best to convince Cassidy not to tell Jesse _anything_ , "We need to get Genesis out of Jesse. Let's just focus on what's most important without making things entirely more complicated."

"Wot _yew_ think is most important n'wot _I_ think is most important are two _completely_ different things." He growled stubbornly.

Just as Lily was about to spit fire back, the door beside them opened, and in came Tulip.

"Hey." She said on her way in. Lily lost her breath again as she looked at Tulip, sudden conflict hitting her like a train. Tulip was all dolled up, truly a perfect image of an angel. Luckily, she was too distracted with her arms were full of grocery bags to notice the thick tension of the room she walked into. Lily exhaled, walking towards her and taking a breath, "What are you doing?" She asked.

Tulip threw the bags onto the counter, her back to them, "I'm cookin' dinner." She stated nonchalantly as she shrugged one shoulder. Lily swallowed, "I thought you said you had somewhere to be." Tulip turned and flashed her eyes at Lily, "Was goin' t'go to Albuquerque." She said, throwing the groceries into the fridge, "Gotta lead that's where Carlos is."

Lily was more shocked than she should've been, " _Carlos_?"

"Mhm." Tulip said, busy with the groceries. "That was what you were late for? You're tracking _Carlos_?... By yourself?" Lily asked "Yep, yep and yep." Tulip said back, still busy organizing the groceries to prep dinner.

Lily knew it was hard to even imagine confronting the man that had caused so much turmoil in their lives, especially alone. Tulip surely pictured Jesse at her side for that moment. Lily didn't need to ask what stopped her - but she did anyway, "What happened?"

With a shoulder shrug, Tulip kept her back to them, "I was feelin' generous today." She lied, throwing the groceries into the fridge, "That piece of shit can live one more day."

Lily's eyes quickly flashed to Cassidy, who's stare burned into her. Lily came to the decision that she wouldn't spoil this last possible moment of innocence. The shit storm of information about Jesse that she was about to deliver would shake Tulip and Jesse's dynamic, and maybe end what was left of them. If Lily could post pone the grief for just one more evening, why wouldn't she?

Lily blinked, nodding her head to Tulip. _One more day_. She agreed to herself mutually.


	21. I Would Imagine

Tulip poured her heart and soul into dinners dish. Lily was extra cautious to keep her mouth shut and keep the peace and apparently so was Jesse. Cassidy was making up for everyone's lack of noise, practically conversing with himself.

Lily forgot multiple times that Emily was even in the room. Each time Tulip would try and spark conversation with Jesse, he would hardly interact back. It was a painful and unnatural setting. Finally, Tulip called him out, slamming her cutlery down and demanding to know what was going on. Suddenly, Lily heard a familiar voice, she turned around to see the local town sheriff.

The first and only time she saw him was in the hospital. Lily turned back around, her back to him, and she was relieved he didn't say anything other than asking everyone one question - where his son was.

Lily glanced to Cassidy, who narrowed his brows at her, making her assume it was this man's son that Jesse had sent to Hell. Jesse nonchalantly said he had no idea, when suddenly Emily spoke, which surprised Lily as she turned to her. "You _did_ see him." Emily corrected Jesse. Lily went stiff and Cassidy's stomach dropped. Tulip clearly wasn't following, still red hot as she glared at Jesse. As quickly as she had said the words, Emily retracted her statement. The sheriff slumped glumly, finding his way out and Jesse followed out after him.

Lily picked at her plate, feeling Tulip's laser stare into her soul. She looked up, "What?" Lily asked. Tulip crossed her arms and pursed her lips, "What's goin' on here?!" She asked. Lily shrugged, playing dumb, and thankfully, her phone rang. She quickly stood up and walked to the bathroom for some privacy in her conversation - it was her co-worker Ezra, he'd called her a few times now just checking in on her, since she'd left out of the blue and in terrible timing. If she had to claim anyone in her workplace anything close enough to constitute as a friend - it would be Ezra.

When Lily came back to the table only a few short minutes later, it was just Emily and Tulip. Lily stood at the doorway, "Where's Jesse and Cassidy?" She asked. Tulip shrugged her shoulder, her energy clearly deflated, "Who knows?" She had her head in her hand and was pushing around her food on her plate.

Emily continued to eat in silence. Lily didn't like the idea of Jesse and Cassidy being alone somewhere, for many reasons. She walked out the door beside the fridge and turned towards the front of the church, walking along it's side, until she heard Cassidy's voice - he was obviously irritated.

She walked around the side of the church to the front, seeing Jesse standing in the blaring sun a ways in front of the steps of the church, Cassidy stood bundled in the shade under the entrance awning. "What's going on?" Lily asked, noticing the tensity between them immediately. With her heart racing, she worried what Cassidy might've already said to her brother and how much damage control it was going to take to reverse all of it.

Neither of them said anything to her, and she caught on pretty quickly that Cassidy must be in his first phase of his promise he'd made - making sure Jesse knew he was a vampire - and it looked like Cassidy was going the dramatic route. Suddenly, Cassidy tossed a large fire extinguisher down to Jesse's feet. Lily noticed Cassidy begin to walk down the stairs towards Jesse - towards the sun - as he slid his first layer of clothing off. Realizing what was going and without thinking twice, she ran in front of him, skidding against the sandy ground. Thankfully, he stopped, "Cassidy." Lily said with prudence, "Don't." She looked up to him with meaningful eyes.

From behind her, she heard Jesse stepped closer to them, "Don't, what, Lily?" He asked cautiously, "What's he gonna do?" Jesse puffed on his cigarette, not sure what to expect. Cassidy's face was straight, and he stepped closer to Lily, he pushed her to the side with his arm as she at the same time grabbed it, pulling at him, " _Cassidy_!" She said with a clenched voice, her heels dragging in the dirt as he walked without any struggle.

As the sunlight hit, Cassidy was instantly engulfed in flames. For Lily, it was as if her hands were pressed onto a red hot stove top, giving her no choice but to let go of her grasp on him as she fell backwards. She'd winded herself, but it only took a couple seconds of Cassidy's gut-wrenching screaming for her to get back up and spectate at the horrifying event.

Jesse stared in awe, the fire extinguisher at his feet catching Lily's eye. " **Jesse**!" Lily yelled, running at him, " **Put him out! JESSE!** " The smoke was thick and the heat wave from the flames was getting stronger. Cassidy's screams were becoming more sparse. Finally, Jesse came to his senses from his shock and sprayed him. Lily stared helplessly, unable to do anything.

When the fire extinguisher wouldn't put out anymore, there was a giant disaster area of mess. Jesse kept the fire extinguisher in his hand as he stomped away, back into the church, practically leaving Cassidy for dead, and Lily to deal with it. There was frothy foam everywhere from the extinguisher as it had quickly melted off of Cassidy's body, which was a completely charred corpse, still sizzling.

Lily grabbed onto what she assumed where his arms, and as she wrapped her hands around, it cracked underneath them. She dragged what was left of him into the shade, collapsing on the stairs, her eyes welling up involuntarily as she looked at his remains. She leaned to her side and vomited the dinner she'd just ate onto the stairs, spitting and wiping her mouth, before staring at the horizon, losing touch of the moment.

She wasn't sure how long she'd zoned out for, but Tulip grabbed her arm in a panic, "What the HELL, Lil?! Is that...?" She asked. Lily nodded feebly, "That's Cassidy." She looked up to Tulip, " _Was_ Cassidy." She corrected.

As if on queue, suddenly Cassidy's corpse gasped. Lily had the life scared out of her as she jumped up and slipped in her own vomit on the steps at her side, falling backwards before sitting up and looking at the blackened carcass in complete shock.

Tulip ran back up to the doors into the church, coming out with an arm full of linens.

Tulip threw the linens over Cassidy, and turned her head towards Lily with a stern look in her eyes, "Lily. If Cassidy stands any chance here, we gotta act _fast_." Lily nodded, wide eyed as she scrambled up towards Tulip.

"Ok," Tulip continued, "Help me wrap these around him. Here. Take his legs and we'll get 'im into my car." They packed Cassidy into her vehicle and no matter how chaotic of a situation she was in, Lily would never forget the single most important thing to her: her bag. She grabbed it from her SUV Tulip sped away as fast as she could. Every so often they'd hear a muffled and unconvincing grumble, but that was the only sound they'd heard from the church to Tulip's uncles.

When they carried him into the bedroom at the back of the house and unwrapped him, it seemed like a thick layer of soot came off with the linen. "I'm running to the hospital," Tulip said, "Stay here and keep an eye on him. Keep your guard up - he's gonna be hungry I would imagine."

Lily furrowed her brows, "Why are you going to the hospital?" She asked. Tulip lowered her eyes, repeating slower, " _Cause_. He's gonna be _hungry_ I would imagine."


	22. Like Old Times

Lily listened to Tulips engine rev as she sped away, staring out the front window as she watched Tulip take off to rob the local hospital of it's minimal blood supply. Lily stared at her burnt hands, reflecting just moments before how Cassidy had burst into flames within seconds. Not all of her might had phased him - she'd tried her hardest to pull him back from his drastic move, but it proved to be useless and instead she got her hands singed. Her mind raced as she ran her hands under cold water before doing her best to wrap them in anything she could find. She'd grabbed some kitchen towels, ripping them up, while keeping a bag of frozen vegetables or ice on them.

She turned back to the hallway, and walked into the room - opening the door carefully to the terrible sight of Cassidy's body that was burnt to a crisp. She didn't move from her place watching him from the doorway at first. The sun came in through two small windows. Lily grabbed a few sheets from the closet down the hallway and pinned them up around the window frames to block out the sunlight.

In the middle of pinning up the last corner - he groaned. She turned her head, her hands reaching far above her as she finished pinning the sheet and stepped down from the nightstand she'd balanced on.

She couldn't help but step closer until she was beside him, leaning against the bed. "Cassidy," She whispered "I don't know if you can hear me but we're going to.." She paused. "We're going to-" She tried to think of assuring words, but she couldn't.

Lily felt somewhat responsible. Maybe he wouldn't be in this spot if it wasn't for the pressure she'd put on him to tell her brother. She figured Jesse would make himself look like an asshole, proving her point to Cassidy. Although, in her defense, she didn't imagine Jesse was savage enough to let Cassidy burn to death, but she also didn't expect Cassidy to be so dramatic as to voluntarily set himself on fire.

Nonetheless, just because she had conflicting feelings for the situation didn't mean she wanted Cassidy dead.

Lily knew she couldn't say anything to provide the support needed, so instead, she sat beside him on the bed and grabbed his hand. A nice gesture in mind, but it crumbled under her hand, causing him to groan. She quickly let go and stood back up, shuffling quickly the doorway, realizing it was probably best if she just stayed away until Tulip came back.

* * *

 ** _THUNK_**

The duffel bag hit the ground with a heavy sound against the old flooring. Lily stared down at the bag, between her and Tulip before she knelt down to it. Unzipping it, Lily opened it wide to see dozens of blood bags. Flickering her eyes up to Tulip, she grabbed an armful of bags, Tulip grabbing her share as well.

"C'mon!" Tulip said, quickly pacing down the hallway towards the room they'd placed Cassidy in.

Tulip's eyes looked to the sheets Lily had hung over the windows before they moved to the bed where Cassidy's body laid. The two of them rushed to his side and Tulip grabbed one of the bags in her arms and unscrewed the cap, quickly placing it into Cassidy's mouth. At first, his mouth filled and some bits poured out the corner of his lips. There was silence and both Lily and Tulip were beginning to wonder if they were too late. Quickly after, his whole body convulsed as he gasped for air, his eyes opening for the first time, nearly popping out of his skull. Tulip and Lily flinched back, watching him devour the contents of the bag in seconds.

"Here!" Tulip said urgently, unscrewing another bag, "Keep 'em goin'!" Tulip said, passing Lily another one as she had to practically rip the empty bag out of his mouth. Eventually he had drained all the bags they'd brought in. Tulip pulled Lily's shoulder back quickly, pulling her out of the room and closing the door.

"Let's leave him alone for a bit," Tulip suggested, their hands full of empty blood bags. Nodding, Lily followed Tulip towards the kitchen, throwing out the empty bags, unable to believe he'd just ingested so much blood. Tulip grabbed a bottle of liquor from the kitchen and walked out to the porch, where they both sat.

"So your brother." Tulip groveled, drinking from the bottle.

"Ya." Lily said shortly.

" _Real_ asshole."

"Ya."

With a heavy sigh, Tulip raised her brow, "When he came back in he slammed the fire extinguisher on the table like a spazz. He was red with rage and there was a look in his eyes I recognized." Lily listened intently. Tulip nodded, "I knew something really wrong happened before I even saw it. He's not himself."

Lily knew exactly what Tulip was talking about - when her brother flipped that switch into that mode, he was a brutal and merciless machine.

Tulip swung the bottle towards Lily, who shook her head. Tulip straightened her mouth and raised her brows in a 'suit-yourself' manner, pressing the bottle back to her lips. When she swallowed a big gulp of liquor, she stared forward to the houses across the street, thinking about the way Jesse had just treated her. He foamed from the mouth with pure rage before speaking in a hurtful hiss. His cold words repeated in her head, _"What would you know about standards, O'Hare?!"_

With a soft sigh, Tulip swallowed the lump in her throat, "I'm beginning to wonder why I even bothered coming here." Her broken tone in her voice caused Lily to turn her head to her, noticing the saddened dewiness in her eyes.

"Not himself." Lily assured as if she could read her mind, "Must be from bottling it up so long. Can't imagine he's let off any steam being a Preacher in a town the size of a freckle on the world's ass." Lily was happy to see Tulip chuckle, even it was was feeble. Wiping her nose, Tulip inhaled sharply, smiling and staring up at the sky as she back the tears.

Lily smiled softly, her eyes dragging down to her hands as she looked at the rippling skin on her palms and fingers. They were beginning to itch. Tulip's eyes caught Lily examining her burnt hands, "Oh," She said, jumping to her feet and walking inside quickly. As she came back out she had a bag full of a variety of medical creams and bandages, "Forgot I grabbed some of this from the hospital while I was there." Tulip explained, handing the bag to her, "For your hands."

"Thanks, Tulip." Lily said, unwrapping her hands from the tea towel fabric she found and placing the burn cream on, wrapping them in some tensor bandaging Tulip had snagged.

Lily thought about explaining Genesis and about how Jesse sent that kid the Sheriff was looking for to Hell, but she didn't have it in her. They listened to the crickets as the sun was nearly completely down, not saying much between the two of them. Tulip did manage to tell a few of her crazy stories in efforts to lighten their moods a bit, and Lily would be lying if she said it didn't help.

They sat outside on the porch until finally many hours later, Tulip yawned, "I gotta sleep." She said, standing up, "There's the couch or if ya really want you know you can always bunk with me." She said with a smile.

Lily smiled back, "Thanks, Tulip."

She shrugged, "It'll be like old times." She sang quietly with her twang. And with that, Tulip closed the screen door behind her. Lily laid on the bench outside for a few minutes before dragging herself to sit up, the bottle Tulip was drinking from sat on the floor of the porch across from her, she sighed, walking into the house and in towards the kitchen. As she passed the hallway she stopped, leaning back to look at the room at the end of the hallway where Cassidy was.

Unable to resist her curiosity, she walked to the room. She creaked the door open and saw his body, still laying on the bed. It wasn't black and charred anymore. In the couple of hours since he'd devoured the obscene amount of blood, he looked a world different - it was _worse_ to look at, and at first, Lily wondered if his condition was worsening.

His skin was entirely raw, as if he'd been skinned and it was severely blistered, scattered with open wounds and puss seeping out all over him - The smell alone was too much. She quickly closed the door again, feeling sick. Lily walked into the living room, picking up her bag from beside the couch. She'd hardly glanced at the couch next to Tulip's snoring uncle before running up the stairs.

Lily crawled into Tulip's bed, her bag on the ground at her side. Tulip stirred, turning her back to Lily, "If you hog the blankets the same as you used to I'll kick you out so fast-" She croaked sleepily. "I won't." Lily whined defensively, "I've gotten better." "Hmph." Tulip huffed sourly, and in the same second, her playful tone melted away as she sighed, "Here we are. Annoyed at your brother together. Hmph," Tulip laughed softly, "Just like old times" Lily sighed back, "Yep." "Night, Lil." Tulip said sweetly. "Night." Lily said back, but unable to close her eyes as easily as Tulip did. Whether her eyes were open or closed, it didn't matter. She still saw the image of Cassidy's raw body, and the awful stench that she'd smelt lingered in her nose.

* * *

As the sun was rising in the bedroom, Lily had hardly closed her eyes. She got out of bed, and helped herself to a shower. Her eyes were bloodshot and she looked like Hell. She changed her dressings on her hands, the burns only a little worse than the day before. She walked into the living room, where Tulip was tending to her uncle.

"Mornin'." Tulip said, "You look like shit." She stated simply. Lily raised her brow and stared at the ground, "Good morning to you too. Jesus." "You sleep OK?" Tulip asked. "Ya." Lily lied, "Would've been better without your snoring, though." Tulip rolled her eyes as she walked past Lily, "I do _not_ snore."

Lily nodded and purposely didn't say anything just to irk Tulip, which worked - Tulip turned to her, "I _don't_."

Lily cracked a smile and so did Tulip, who walked back up to Lily, handing her a cup of coffee. "Thanks." Lily said, practically chugging from the cup, before stopping in spot as she noticed an array of animal cages down the hallway. She gulped down the coffee in her mouth as she looked up to Tulip, who read her mind as she nodded, "There's no more blood at the hospital so... Had to improvise." She said with a smile.

Lily nodded, her stomach turning. "Doesn't seem to be working as well as the blood bags though." Tulip added, "Too bad we cleaned them out."

It was at that moment that there was a knock on the door. A knock so lackluster that no one else could knock that unconvincingly if they tried. "Was that a knock?" Tulip asked, walking to her door, and on the other side stood Emily, which explained it all.

"Emily?" Tulip asked surprisingly. With an awkward, and disgruntled look on her face, Emily took a sharp breath and looked up at the two of them, "Can I come in?"

They sat at the kitchen table and Emily explained why she showed up at Tulip's uncle's doorstep. Emily was short but to the point as she brought Tulip and Lily up to speed about what was going on with Jesse being held up at the church in the midst of a gun fight, to which the two of them couldn't be anymore uninterested - which was not the reaction Emily was expecting. "I was hoping you two would have an idea.." Emily admitted, looking from one of them to the other hopefully.

Lily laughed and Tulip smirked, "Actually, I gotta go." She said. Lily's face suddenly dropped and she scrunched her brow, "What?" Tulip stood up and grabbed a bag, throwing on a jacket and some sunglasses before turning towards Lily, "I gotta a man to kill in Albuquerque." She smiled. Jesse's rage had fueled hers, and she was ready to take advantage of that. Lily jumped up, "No!" She followed her to the front door, down towards her car, "Don't leave me. Please!" Lily grabbed onto Tulips arm and pulled at her desperately. Tulip turned to her as they stood in front of her car, "Oh, Lily, stop bein' so damn dramatic. I'll be back in less than a day."

Tulip hopped in the drivers seat of her car, throwing her bag into the passenger side. Lily huffed, "You're seriously leaving me here alone to deal with this?" She asked, dropping her shoulders. Tulip closed her car door, the window down as she revved her engine. "I'm not leaving you alone." Tulip said, peaking her eyes over her shades, "Emily's here with you now." She pointed a finger towards the house. Lily turned to see Emily standing with her mouth gaping open like a deer in headlights on Tulip's doorway.

Lily dropped her eyes and swung her head back towards Tulip, who was grinning ear to ear as she backed out of the driveway, revving her engine before she ripped down the road.


	23. A Natural

The stench coming from the room Cassidy had been in for the past day and a half was so bad, it was almost unbearable even from the living room. Lily was starting to feel stir crazy from being stuck in the house that reeked worse than death. She'd talked with Emily enough to give her the basic run down about the situation with Cassidy, and she took it very well, surprisingly.

Lily finally came to terms that she needed to get out of the house, "I need to find more blood." Lily said, which was true. "I thought Tulip said you guys cleared out the hospital." Emily asked. Lily nodded, "We did, but it's worth a shot anyway." Emily was even kind enough to let Lily use her vehicle, not that she really had much of a chance to say no.

When Lily got to the hospital, she was careful not to be seen, especially by anyone that would've recognized her from her visit just a few days ago. Suddenly, she noticed the nurse that had been at her side during her time here. Lily stepped into another room slyly, and there in front of her was the fridge where the blood bags should've been, but it was completely empty. She sighed, and to her right, some medical supplies caught her eye. It was the only option, so she grabbed what she could and got back to Tulip's uncles.

As she walked in, Emily stood up from the couch, "I threw in some more guinea pigs," She said. Lily nodded, a small smile across her lips, "Great. Thanks, Emily."

Emily rubbed her hands on her legs as she sat back down, staring at Lily, "Did ya manage to get your hands on some more-" "No." Lily interrupted, her tone more rude than intended. She noticed Emily's eyes shift as she looked at the ground. "No." Lily repeated softer, "I didn't."

Emily looked at the bag, and Lily read her curiosity as she reached into it, pulling out an empty blood bag, a long tube and and even longer needle. "You don't happen to be educated in drawing blood, do you?" Lily asked, holding the supplies up. Emily blinked, "N-no... I'm not." Lily nodded, sitting down on the couch across from Emily and pulling out her phone, turning to the internet for guidance.

Lily had imagined Emily would be queasy and abandon ship at the idea, but she actually proved to be good support. Emily grabbed the bag and held it above Lily as she sat on the couch. Lily read the instructions on her phone as she wrapped the tourniquet around her arm. After that she struggled to find a vein. She pressed her arm and waited for the tourniquet to work, but it was impossible. She breathed quick as she pulled the cover off the needle, wiping down her arm with an alcohol wipe. Lily didn't look into Emily's wide eyes in fear of psyching herself out.

She stabbed herself with the needle, no blood drawing into it. She pulled it out, wincing her face, and tried again. This time she looked up to the bag, still nothing. She continued her efforts for several minutes before she got discouraged.

"Here," Lily said, motioning the needle up towards Emily, "Do you mind trying?" Emily's face wasn't hiding the clear desire to deny the question, but she found it in her to try anyway. She grabbed the needle from her hand hastily, trading it for the blood bag. Lily held the bag as high as she could with her other arm.

Lily shifted her glance away as Emily lowered herself to the couch beside her, "I-" Emily stuttered, "I've ... never done this before. So.."

Lily shook her head, "It's fine, just... do your best." She said half encouragingly. There was a pinch, and blood was drawn. They both stared up to the bag in Lily's hand as the first few drops dripped in. With a sigh of relief, Lily looked up at Emily, staring into her wide eyes, "You're a natural." Emily rubbed her hands on her lap, shifting her eyes away and pressing her lips together in a polite smile. "Thanks Emily." Lily said.

A little uncomfortable, Emily shifted in her spot and glanced at Tulip's uncle passed out on the couch on the other side of the room. She grabbed the blood bag from Lily's hand, noticing her bandages wrapped around, "What happened to your hands?" Emily asked while watching the blood drip into the bag as she rigged up the lamp sitting on a side table to be able to hold it up on it's own. Lily watched her set up the make-shift drip pole, "Cassidy lit on fire while I was holding onto him." She explained nonchalantly. Emily raised her brows as she moved her glance from the bag to Lily.

"You must really care about him." Emily pointed out.

Lily scrunched her face as she leaned back to lay down on the couch, "The internet says it would take 3 or 4 of these-" She pointed her chin up to the blood bag, "before it's dangerous. The least I could do is donate one to the cause, since it was _my_ selfish brother let him burn to almost-death in the first place." She tried to justify, but Emily knew how blatantly Lily had ignored answering to the statement she'd made.

* * *

It hadn't taken as long as they'd imagined for the bag to fill. Emily had spent the time quiet as she cleaned up and starting carrying out all the animal cages that were crowding the house. Lily laid back staring at the blood dripping into the bag. It was nearly full. She looked up as Emily walked at her side, helping her disassemble the set up.

Lily grabbed the bag - feeling how warm it was turned her stomach. She stared at it, suddenly a little lightheaded.

With a tall glass of orange juice, Emily reached her hand out to Lily, "Here." Lily sat up and smiled, "Thanks," She sipped, pulling her long sleeves down over her arm, the bruises from her failed attempts of trying to find a vein mocking her.

"I should go give it to him." Lily said looking up at the bag. Emily breathed in sharply, "I need to tell you something." Lily looked up at her with her brow narrow, and Emily quickly continued, "While you were out earlier, Miles... he's the mayor, he..." She stopped on her words and Lily leaned closer in anticipation, "He came by here.." Emily continued, "And I.. I guess he found his way into Cassidy's room when I was in the washroom and..." Emily lied, but she felt like she owed it to Lily to at least let her know there was more than guinea pig and bunny corpses in there.

Lily's eyes widened to match Emily's. "Emily..." She said gravely.

With a feeble head shake, Emily swallowed the lump in her throat, "I heard some noises but I didn't look." Lily stood up quickly, and she wasn't sure whether she was light headed due to the fact that Cassidy more than likely killed the mayor of Annville and she was about to walk into the middle of it, or whether it was the loss of blood. A combination, for sure.

At the end of the hallway, she pushed the door open cautiously. She thought the stench of the rotting carcasses was bad from down the hall, but when she opened the door into the room, she was hit with a thick wave of a whole new brand of stench. Lily quickly closed the door again, walking into the living room where Emily stood with her arms crossed sheepishly.

Lily's eyes were watering from the stench, she took a breath and gave cautious eyes to Emily before walking down the hallway and slowly opening the door again. She coughed, throwing her arm over her face, suppressing the urge to vomit. Her eyes watered harder, as if it wasn't hard enough to see in the dark, cluttered room already. In her other arm she held the blood bag, it was still warm to the touch which was an idea that made her want to throw up on it's own.

It was really dark, and it was hard to even keep her eyes open. Her eyes were burning for many reasons, when she could focus on the bed, Cassidy wasn't laying there.

His hoarse voice made her jump, "Sorry fer th'mess." Cassidy grumbled from the corner. She glanced briefly at the corpse of the mayor on the floor before quickly glancing towards Cassidy's voice. She breathed into her sleeved arm before moving it to talk, "Don't be." Lily clenched her voice, careful to breathe as little as possible.

Lily could see the outline of him, he was hunched in the corner that she faced. Cassidy groaned, "Y'were right. Was only a matter'o time before I saw yer brother for what he truly is. All I had to do was be true to 'im about me. Now it's all on the table." He groveled pitifully. His arms were crossed and his shoulders were hunched. His skin was still sore on the eyes, he looked like an extreme case burn patient, but at least it wasn't oozing puss anymore. "You look better." She said.

He chuckled feebly, "Not my best but yer right. But it'll be a while yet."

She stepped over the mayor's body, "I went to the hospital to get you more blood..." She felt the blood bag tucked into her under arm as she stared at the lifeless corpse, suddenly realizing what vulnerable and dangerous position she was in.

Lily moved her head back to Cassidy, "But," She refrained from telling him the truth, her gut told her not to, "There was just the one. And I would assume they're a bit more than suspicious all the towns blood supply has disappeared, so I highly doubt they'll be any more." She tried her best at being aloof as she slipped her hand into her side and pulled out the bag, holding it out and reaching towards him.

He grabbed the bag and slunk back away, his ghastly eyes caught the faint ray of light peering through the multiple layers of linen that covered the window at his side, "It's fresh." He whispered in a blood curdling hiss. She felt her mouth go dry as she shrugged and shook her head, doing her best to play dumb and stay still as an icy shiver traveled up and down her spine.

He looked up to her, his eyes glazed with more than a tinge of insane glistening in them, "Where's this from?"

Lily shrugged, "Just with the stuff I got from the hospital." She lied, hoping he wouldn't tell.

Cassidy hardly had to touch his teeth to it to rip the bag open, not letting a drop miss his mouth as he cranked his neck back and let it pour down his throat, his intense moaning making her toes curl and every hair on her body stand as she felt her legs quiver, beginning to wonder if she should fear for her life. He ripped apart the bag and pressed it hard against his face as he licked it clean, rubbing anything that got on his face off and licking it off his hands.

He was panting heavily, and in that moment she was absolutely positive he was about to lunge towards her. She wasn't able to stay any longer without bursting into hysterics, unable to even choke out a word before stepped backwards towards the door, the idea of her back to him was not an option. She quickly shuffled backwards, stumbling over the various carcasses, and reaching behind as she clawed for the door. She caught his eyes for a second before closing the door and gasping for air on the other side.

Emily grabbed her shoulder, to which she spun around in panic, Emily grabbed her arms as she felt her body go limp, helping her down the hallway to the couch. Lily laid down, her hands pressed on her eyes as Emily rubbed her arm at her side, not knowing what she saw in there, but knowing that nothing she could say would be any help.

* * *

Lily sat in the living room with nothing to say and Emily kept herself busy as she cleaned around keeping quiet and not talking to Lily more than needed, which Lily quite appreciated. The day was almost over, and Lily hadn't said anything since her encounter with Cassidy several hours before. Emily sat at her side, she'd just gotten off the phone, "Jesse's gonna come by.." Lily shot her eyes up to Emily, "He is?" She asked, her voice hoarse. Emily nodded. "Ok," Lily said, standing up, Emily's eyes followed her as she watched her run upstairs and come back down with her bag in her arms.

"Where are you goin'?" Emily asked with genuine concern. "I'm leaving before Jesse gets here." Lily explained, gathering her stuff, "Feel free to join." Emily shook her head, "That's fine." She cleared her throat, and it was obvious that she was itching to see Jesse again.

Lily's eyes flickered down the hallway towards where Cassidy was, wondering if she should give him warning, but deciding against it. She remembered how threatened she felt in the room with him just earlier and came to the decision that Cassidy needed no help from her to properly defend himself. Her eyes moved back to Emily as she pointed down the hallway, "Stay away from him." She warned, opening the front door and catching one last look of Emily before closing it behind her on the way out.

* * *

Without a vehicle, and with no such thing as a cab company in a town so small, Lily found herself walking, retracing the crazy drive she'd made from the Sundowner just days before. The sun was nearly set as she could hardly believe she was back at this motel _again_.

In last desperation, she searched around the motel in efforts to find the 'angel clones', as Cassidy had called them, hoping they would be able to help figure out this situation with Jesse and hopefully put an end to this madness. But, they were nowhere to be seen.

Lily checked into a room, hoping to get some sleep before she set back on the road for Worthington, where she would have to give a large presentation for the company she worked for. Since she'd disappeared off the face of the earth the past few days, she knew she would have some explaining to do when she got back.

Sleep proved to be pointless, she brought her bag into the washroom with her, sitting beneath the shower for long enough for her skin to prune. She did her best to keep her hands out of the warm water, even the steam was uncomfortable. When she got out, she threw her hair up and rinsed her face, but not before she wrapped her hands again.

The past day and a half she hadn't slept a wink, and yet she couldn't imagine closing her eyes.

Lily opened her bag and started looking through papers as she dragged it out to the room, trying to prep herself the best she could. With her mind racing too much, she suddenly began stressing out. Everything that had happened the past few days in Annville had scrambled her brain and she was burnt out.

She was going to bomb the presentation, she knew it. At this point, she might as well dig her own grave.

It came as a crazy shock when there was a knock at the door. She jumped from where she was sitting on the bed, the scatter of papers covering it. She held her breath, as there was another knock.

Lily had no idea what to expect as she grabbed her gun from her open bag. Quietly and swiftly, she stepped up to the door, keeping the gun hidden behind it as she quickly jarred it open.

To her surprise, in perfect condition in front of her, stood Cassidy.


	24. Prove It

Lily stepped back, the insides of her stomach fluttered as she creaked the door a bit wider. Cassidy grinned, his shades covering his eyes again and his skin in nearly perfect condition. "You're better." She stated, cutting the silence. He nodded, dragging from his cigarette, "I'm better." He said.

She was unable to hide how amazed she was as she studied his nearly flawless image, in wonder on the fact that the burnt, charred corpse and the raw-skinned, puss oozing mutant was the same man as the one that stood in front of her in this moment.

Her mind wandered trying to imagine Cassidy as the thing that scared her the most just earlier on this same day. It was hard to imagine those two images that seemed so opposite being the same person. Pulling her out of her train of thought, he cleared his throat and she looked up to him as she raised her brows, opening the door and stepping back with it to let him in.

He pressed his lips together, "Want t'come out instead?" He proposed, pointing a thumb back to Jesse's pick up. Lily glanced from the truck back to Cassidy. "Been cooped up fer too long, gettin a bit o'cabin fever, y'know" He explained.

"Yea." She nodded, "Yea, ok." She shook her head, "Let me just change." She pointed into the room. Cassidy smiled and nodded, following her into the room. She closed the door, lowering her arm that was behind the it, the gun in her hand at lax as it pointed at the ground, "Woah!" Cassidy cackled flinching back playfully, "Never unprepared, are ya?"

She let out a feeble laugh, trying not to be unnatural, but it was hard. Placing her gun back in her bag, she grabbed some different clothes. Cassidy noticed her bandaged hands, "Yer hands." He said. She raised her eyebrows and hardly looked at him as she began to clean the variety of perfectly stacked papers on the bed, "Ya, turns out you burst into flames in the sunlight." She said lightheartedly as she closed her bag, locking it with the key around her bangle, still unattached from her wrist, as she threw it in her pocket. She walked to the washroom and changed.

When she came out, she walked towards Cassidy, "Ok." She said with a forceful smile, "Let's go." Lily walked up to Jesse's truck, with bag in hand, "Where are we going?" She asked as she opened the creaky truck door and jumped in.

"Not far," Cassidy said with a grin, slamming his door shut and turning the keys in the ignition.

He was his back to usual chatty self, practically carrying on conversation on his own, and Lily wasn't sure to be relieved he was back to normal or concerned he was acting so suddenly OK. The longer they drove the less sign of life there was. When Cassidy put the truck in park, they were somewhere off grid. No lights, no buildings and hardly a road to follow.

She felt a lump in her throat as she began to suddenly get nervous. He left the truck on as he sparked a cigarette, "Yer brother came by." She blinked, waiting for him to go on. "We're fine." He said. "You're fine?" She asked skeptically. "It's'all smoothed over now so there's nothin' t'worry yer pretty little head over, alright?" He said encouragingly. Lily had so many questions, but she was caught off guard when he suddenly turned off the truck, leaving them in complete darkness other than the faint light of the end of his cigarette, "Shall we?" He said, opening the door as it loudly creaked open.

Lily scrambled to find her phone for light. When Cassidy slammed the drivers door shut, the truck rocked back and forth a bit. She struggled to find her phone, "Cassidy!" She yelled out towards the drivers side, sounding more panicked than intended. Hearing the truck creak a few times, she groaned, "I can't see anyth-" She jumped out of her skin when the passenger door beside her opened, "Here." She felt his hand grab her arm as the other unbuckled her. She followed his lead, as if she had a choice.

His hands grabbing to her arm were burning hot to the touch, not helping the clamminess of hers. She followed the side of the truck with the other hand. As they reached the end, she turned and smashed her hip against the tailgate that, little did she know, he had put down.

"Ah!" She winced, leaning down and grabbing onto her side, "Ow."

"Oh _shite._ Sorry." Cassidy said shamefully, " 'Ere." He grabbed her arm again, pulling her in close to him. It was more than unnerving not being able to see anything as he guided her around as if she was blind. She leaned against him and he lifted her up to the box and she stood up on the open tail gate, staring down at the only thing she could see, the the lit end of his cigarette. He pulled himself up to sit on the tailgate, dragging from his smoke.

"Well," He said, "Sit down, then."

She hesitantly lowered herself down to the tailgate beside him, "Cassidy." She sighed, "I can't see a fucking thing." She groaned in annoyance.

He laughed, "I know. I can see perfectly fine, so I can see th'look on yer face." He mocked mischievously. She scoffed, her cheeks getting hot, "It's really uncomfortable." "Wot is?" Cassidy asked. She rolled her eyes, "Not being able to see anything." She admitted, trying to sound annoyed but it came across more as anxious.

Lily wished she had her phone on her at least, but she was too caught of guard, overtired, and nervous to move around in the complete darkness to go get it from the cab of the truck herself."Ahh-" He bumped his shoulder to hers, "Y'ave nothin' t'worry about." He dragged from his cigarette again, "Jus get comfortable. Yer eyes will adjust eventually."

She huffed, and threw her arms behind her to lean back. Instead of the cold metal pickup box, she felt fabric. She sat up again and turned to it, "What's back here?" She asked, leaning away from it cautiously.

"Hmm." Cassidy said, puffing his smoke, "That'd be a lounge. In case you wanna stargaze. Don't know if that's yer thing, but either way, they're real beautiful out here, y'know." He said sweetly, "No city lights. No pollution. The best kinda place t'see them." He explained. She slowly climbed her hands up, feeling the entire truck box covered in linens, even a mattress underneath.

"Did you pick this mattress up from the local landfill?" Lily asked, only half joking.

"Actually, it's jus' th'one that came with my bunk upstairs in th'church... so probably."

"Hm." She laughed.

As if the clean freak inside of her was dead, she slowly collapsed back onto the, surprisingly comfortable, bed. Realizing how truly exhausted she was.

She felt him shift around, and thought she felt him lay down beside her until she heard him speak from down by her feet, and realized it was his legs at her side, "Thank ye fer all that y'did the past coupla days." He said from the other side of the make-shift bed.

She shook her head against the pillow her head was on, "Cassidy, please you don't have-"

"No, I do." He interrupted sternly, "I do." He repeated, "What y'did, all that stuff. I really owe ye."

She sighed, "It really wasn't a big deal. I just did what I could, Tulip, too." She took a deep breath in, trying to move on from the topic, "These linens smell fresh." She said with a deep breath in.

"Ya. Ye can thank Emily fer that. Always cleanin' n'sortin shite around that church..." Cassidy said. He took a quick breath in, "Y'know _speaking_ of Emily," He said with a tone so skeptical, she didn't need to see to know he was waving his finger, "I talked to her after y'left."

Lily felt a lump in her throat, "Emily. Oh ya?" She said, suddenly afraid of what she might have told Cassidy. "She helped a lot." Lily stated, her heart racing. Cassidy was quiet, "Ya."

In efforts to change topic, she cleared her throat, "You're right by the way, the stars are nice." She said as if she could see anything at all, but wanted to convince him otherwise. Cassidy ignored her desperate efforts to change discussion, "Emily said it was just you two there that last day." He stated. As her heart dropped, she felt a wave of adrenaline rush over her body, knowing anything she would say was just digging her into a bigger hole of obvious guilt.

His voice went from playfully suspicious to a quiet growl, "N'that blood bag y'gave me. It was warm. It was fresh. Not from the hospital. No. Was too fresh t'be from the hospital." His tone wasn't aggressive, but it didn't have to be for her to be scared for her life.

Lily stayed silent, unsure what to expect.

She sat up to be at a more defensive position to talk to him, "Actually, n-" She gasped as she was surprised to feel a grasp onto to her arm as he yanked at her, pulling her to him and ripping her sleeve up to expose her bruised arm. She was frozen.

His cigarette was gone, but she could feel him breathing face to face with her. She closed her eyes, and she felt his hand grasp tightly onto her. He opened his mouth and kissed her neck slowly, feeling her pulse racing as it teased him under his lips. "Not that I needed t'see the tracks on yer arm t'know it was yours." Cassidy growled against her neck, "I knew it was yours the _instant_ I tasted it. Smelt it all over ye as soon as I got it in me mouth." He hissed, moving up to her ear as he breathed in the exact smell he was talking about, "I wanted more. In the state I was in, I was pretty well prepared t'kill ye for it."

With her nerves impossible to hide, she was involuntarily shaking, certain she was dead. His nose was trailing back down to her neck. As he inhaled, his mouth was watering at just the thought of being so close to the taste. He dragged his head up and kissed her lips. With his grasp tight on her, he pulled away and she sat frozen in his grasp. He yanked on her sternly, " _Don't_ do that again." He warned cautiously as he released his firm grip from her forearm and gently grabbed the side of her head, feeling her stiff as stone body quiver the slightest as he kissed her again.

When he pulled away after only a few moments, she finally exhaled, her heartbeat loud in her ears as she slowly lowered herself back away from him. She stayed still sitting upright, not knowing what to say. "I think you fancy me more than y'like t'admit." He said.

Her eyebrows furrowed.

"What's that look for?" He asked playfully, and she saw his face for the moment he sparked his lighter, lighting another cigarette in his mouth.

What she felt like saying was, _"Oh, just that I was positive you were just about to slaughter me just now but here you are hitting on me as if nothing's unusual."_

But instead, she shook her head and said simply, "I don't know." Her nerves far beyond shot. She felt him shift closer, and she leaned back as she felt him grab her hand. "I'll never do anythin' t'hurt ye on purpose." His low voice assured. She stayed quiet, the sincerity in his voice convincing, "But I need yew t'do yer part and not do such stupide shite like givin' me yer blood."

There was silence.

"Alright?" He asked.

She swallowed, "Alright."

"I've been around long enough now to know what not to waste my time on," He said, puffing on the smoke for a moment, "I know better than to walk away from this. N'even though ye may not be as experienced as I am, I know yer smart enough know that very well, too."

She huffed, the back and forth of different emotions draining her. One second he was telling her how he'd nearly just killed her, the next he was going off about being with her. Feeling him rub the bandage on her hand, he sighed, "I'm sorry yer hands are burned." Lily shrugged a shoulder, "You should be." She said bitterly, yet a smirk spread across her lips.

"Hmph," Cassidy chuckled back, " _Really_? Yer gonna make me feel bad fer _that_ even though it was a thousand percent yer own fault fer holdin' onto me th'way y'did?" He mused. She sighed, "Yes." She leaned back even more.

"Hm," He said, "Well let me make it up t'ye then."

She felt him press his hand against her face. Her eyes went wide as she was both confused and annoyed at what he was doing pressing his palm over the entire lower half of her face, until when she opened her mouth to tell him off when the taste of his blood stopped her.

Her eyes closed and her body relaxed. She couldn't conceal the moan that came out of her mouth, muffled by his hand. She took her hands and clenched onto his arm in front of her, not thinking twice at how crazy the situation was. When he pulled his hand away from her grasp, she opened her eyes and saw him perfectly. His shades were still on, and she snatched them off to see his hungry eyes.

There was no hesitation as she practically jumped into him and wrapped her arms around his neck, locking lips again. He didn't waste a second reciprocating the actions, he grabbed her hips and pulled her onto his lap.

He had been sitting with one leg up, the other stretched out. He leaned her against the leg that was bent up, and sat her sideways on his lap. They continued to kiss in a steady pace, finding a perfect rhythm between the two of them. He moved one of his hands from around her waist down to her inner thigh. She kissed him harder, tightening her arms around his neck at the anticipation.

He slowly massaged her thigh before making it up in between her legs. She tensed and groaned in annoyance at the uncomfortable barrier of her jeans. Lily was fidgeting in desperation, and Cassidy couldn't handle torturing her any longer. He ripped her button open and slid his hand down the front of her pants, the zipper opening at his push.

She gasped as his fingers found their way just where she needed them. She unlocked her arms and slid them down his chest, clawing down his shirt, and then grasping the fabric in her hands. Her cheeks were burning hot and her head was spinning as she moaned in his lips while moving her hips against his touch.

Sooner than she knew it, she was reaching the edge of control. She pulled her lips away from his and threw her head back as she moaned . He buried his face in her neck, kissing it intensely. The idea of how his teeth were pressed against her skin was making her oddly excited at the thought that he could end her life in an instant. At her peak, she lost her breath, until she released the tenseness of her entire body and exhaled, breathing shortly.

Surprisingly, this time she didn't pass out. Cassidy moved himself out from underneath her and lowered her relaxed body down onto the mattress beneath them. She willingly laid back, but instead of winding down she was determined to keep it going. She threw her arms around his neck again and kissed him hard, only to pull away from a brief moment as she struggled to keep her breath. She looked up at him, thankful she could see him so perfectly.

Cassidy responded to her arousal enthusiastically as he grabbed her shirt, pulling it above her head. She kicked her shoes off and he pulled her pants off of her, in an instant she was completely naked. He quickly made his way back to her lips, but hardly had any time to catch her breath before he pulled his face to the side of hers, hissing a filthy comment into her ear.

She suddenly felt exposed, as she was completely naked beneath him and he was fully clothed above her. Lily grabbed his shirt, pulling it over his head and tossing it to the side.

She felt him smile when he kissed her again, this time trailing down her neck. Her heart was racing as she bit her lip harder. He made his way between her breasts, grabbing one with each hand before placing his lips around one nipple, his teeth against it in a tender way.

He made his way to the other side, getting quicker and less gentle. As his bite became sharper, so did hers against her lip. He pulled away and she whimpered without control, as he suddenly found his way between her legs.

He kissed her thigh as he teased closer. She was short of breath and it was useless to pretend she hadn't lost complete control. She pressed her legs together, pushing his face closer to the center of her legs, warning him to stop teasing.

He couldn't help but smirk at her eagerness, as he placed his hands on the inside of her thighs and grasped onto them. She held her breath as he trailed his tongue up to her clit, she flinched at the sensitivity since it had just received so much attention only moments before.

She grasped the linens underneath her and just as she was near another peak, he pulled away. She panted, her face was hot and her brow straightened, annoyed with the sudden stop in such a perfect momentum. She sat up, her hands finding him in front of her.

She moved her hands down to his waist, struggling to unbuttoning his pants. Ripping her mouth of his, she looked down as she clawed desperately to rip his pants of him. She felt him his her head - and he would be lying to himself if he said he didn't love how insane his blood made her. Finally helping her out, he pulled his pants off, and kissed her, wrapping his arms around her and lifting her before pushing her onto her back on the makeshift bed that filled the box of the truck.

Suddenly, their face-paced escapade took a turn as he was suddenly breathing a lot deeper against their kiss. H stopped and pulled away, leaning over her as she hung off of him. She felt like her whole body was on fire and she couldn't begin to believe why he'd stop. With her hands clawing in his hair, she studied his face, "What's wrong, what is it?" She asked breathlessly.

"Your lip," He rasped lowly, "It's bleedin' a bit." She moved one of her hands off him reluctantly and pressed her finger on her lip. She looked at her finger and she saw nothing. She licked her lips and didn't taste anything. Shaking her head in confusion, Lily narrowed her brow at him above her, "No it's not."

"Yes," He said sharply, pulling back more, "It 'tis. Trust me." As he got further from her, panic set in. She clenched onto him. It was hard for her to believe since she couldn't notice but clearly he did. ""Wait-" She choked out, "You _just_ said you'd never hurt me."

"Not on _purpose_ , no. But y'dont understand wot I feel when I-" He cut himself off as he groaned in frustration, throwing his head down. She should've been scared for her life, and she would've been just like she was only minutes before. If she was smart she would help him calm down, keep her mouth shut or even run away.

But instead, she was running on the insane high of Cassidy's blood, and the thought of him feeling as insane as she did was an idea she was transfixed with, causing a sick form of arousal in her, leaving zero regard for the insane risk of life. With her mind far beyond straight, she bit her lip even harder, faintly tasting a small trickle of blood now, she put her arms around him and pressed her lips up to his and he instantly pushed her away, "Are you _insane_?!" He shouted.

"You're allowed to force your blood on me, but when I do it it's suddenly such a terrible thing?" She retaliated.

He huffed in frustration, "It's _nothing_ the same, Lily."

"If what you say is true and you _won't_ hurt me, then prove it. If you _love_ me, then prove it." She manipulated him by opening the subject she normally wouldn't want anything to do with, "Kiss me." She whispered.

He sighed, knowing how unfair she was being. "Please," She said with more of a begging tone, "Cassidy." She grabbed his hands and saw the outline of his figure shift as he pushed her back again. There was a brief moment of stillness between them, until he finally breathed in, smelling the familiar and euphoric smell he would forever smell on her since he'd tasted so much of her blood.

He shifted forward quickly and she gasped at his forceful manner as suddenly he was pressing his lips against hers much more eagerly. He began to bite her lip in the exact place she had been, prodding the small abrasion. She fell backwards at his force and he was suddenly much more vocal as his moans sent a shiver through her body in the same way the taste of her blood did to him.

His bite became more sharp, causing the raw area of her lip to split, and he knew he had to be very careful. She felt her pulse in her lip as the blood slowly made its way to the opening. She lifted her hands to his face, only to have him grab her wrists and push them to the sides of her head with a firm grip. She wrapped her legs around him and lifted her hips up to his, feeling his hard on. She whimpered against his lips and he couldn't gather any effort to play a tease. He found it easy to make his way into her, with no hesitation.

She gasped as she threw her head back, he kept his lips onto her bottom one as he thrust into her. She wiggled her wrists, begging to be let go so she could touch him, but his grasp only got more firm.

Only at her peaking up to climax did he finally let her hands go, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, screaming in undeniable pleasure. Her expressiveness made it impossible not to follow as Cassidy reached his highest point of pleasure. He collapsed to her side as they both tried catching their breath for only a short minute before exhaustion caught them before either of them could say a word.


	25. Caught Off Guard

"Love, we gotta get back now, sun's comin' up."

She blinked a few times until her eyes adjusted, she sat up in the makeshift bed in the box of the pickup and looked toward the flat of the horizon to see the faintest glow of the sun begin to peak up. Cassidy had been up for some time now, but he refrained from waking her before it was entirely necessary.

With a groan, she grabbed the clothes that were scattered around, throwing Cassidy what she could find of his and quickly made their way to the cab of the truck. She leaned her head against the window as she kept her eyes shut, exhausted from the little amount of sleep she'd been getting the past couple days.

Driving back, Cassidy had filled Lily in with her brothers situation. Lily's eyes stayed closed, "Hm." Cassidy looked at her, "Y'think 'ell do it? Y'think 'ell get God there?"

"Maybe." Lily breathed in, "I don't know if I would be surprised in anything anymore." Cassidy just raised his brows and straightened his mouth, bobbing his head in agreement.

When they reached the Sundowner, they went into the room, Lily went directly to the washroom. She turned the sink on to brush her teeth, only to have her split lip catch her eye. She raised her hand to it, touching the dark maroon blood crusted over the crack.

As she was standing in the hot shower, she stared at the palms of her hands that were so perfectly healed, wondering why her lip hadn't done the same. She closed her eyes and tilted her head up as she let the water hit her face.

The sound of a the shower curtain sliding open scared her as she flinched and turned around. In climbed Cassidy, the only thing still covered were his eyes by his sunglasses. As if by routine, he made himself comfortable climbing into the shower and joining her. Lily, however, had her arms crossed over her breasts as she stared up at him with a what-the-fuck-do-you-think-you're-doing look. Cassidy wasn't phased, he smiled as he inched closer to her and the water, "'Ere, lemme just. Get by 'ere..." He wrapped his arm around her as the water splattered on his shoulders into her eyes. It was far too small of a shower for him, let alone both of them.

"I'm done, anyways." Lily said as she pulled away from him and jumped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around her body and another around her hair.

As she applied foundation to first her face, she put some on her lip in hopes to conceal it. She side eyed towards him in the shower as she continued to dab cover up on her lip all while he sang away under the water, she'd finished doing her makeup and threw one some new clothes. She was brushing out her hair when Cassidy got out. He scrubbed his head with the towel and wrapped it around his waist, walking up to her.

"So, I was thinkin'..." He began in a soft tone, watching her trace her lips with the lipstick in her hand. "Hmm?" She asked, staring at her reflection and rubbing her lips together. "Since yer brother's all good now about me bein' a vampire and wot not how about th'other side of that deal there, then.."

She turned to him, "Wasn't the way he reacted a perfect testament on how right I was?" Cassidy tilted his head and pressed his lips together, and quickly walked out of the washroom to grab his clothes.

Lily leaned out the bathroom door after him, "Wasn't it?" She asked again, walking out towards him. He grabbed his pants from the ground and dropped the towel. "Ya, ya. But-" He groveled, stepping into his pants and lifting them up. She kept walking towards him, "Remember how you said you owed me one, Cass?" She said, stopping in front of him. He looked down at her, his brow narrow. Her voice was a low whisper, "Well, I'm cashing that in and asking you keep your mouth shut about us."

Normally, he'd be able to argue himself out of any situation, but his train of thought was completely derailed after she used the term _us._ For having as much experience and years of living as he did, it was pretty pathetic how massive of a suck he still was. Without saying anything else, she teared her eyes from his and walked towards the end of the bed, sitting as she reached to the top of her head and began braiding her hair back.

Cassidy stared at her for a few moments before his eyes caught the wall clock behind her, "Look at the time, gonna be late for church!" He sang playfully with a smile, "How ironic is that, eh?" He laughed, lunging past her in a blur to grab his shirt, "Late fer church cos y'were out late sleepin' with a _vampire_." He cackled loudly.

She turned to him, her arms still above her head braiding, and her brows narrow, "Cassidy..."

"Wot?" He asked, his smile fading away, "Oh, _c'mon_. I didn't mean it like yer a whore, runnin' around screwin' everyone in the night n'that - is jus my stupid sense of humor, I didn't-" "No." She interrupted, shaking her head, "Not that."

"Wot, then?" He asked anxiously.

"I'm not going to church. I need to get back to Worthingdon. Now." She said, pushing her bag with her feet so it was right by the door. She turned to face him again but he was on her heels right behind her. He'd dropped his shirt that was in his hands and he grabbed her hands from her head, and her braid she was almost done immediately fell apart. she huffed.

"Yer leavin' now?" He said as if she'd done something so horrible.

She blinked, "Cassidy. I _need_ to. I've hardly been able to keep this deal afloat since I've been here. It's a miracle it's still even happening. If I'm not there in ten hours I might as well dig my own grave.." She explained, gathering all her stuff.

"Wot d'ya need t'do?" He pried.

She side eyed him, a bit annoyed that he had the audacity to believe it was any of his business, "As soon as it's done, I'm getting back here to get Jesse out here one way or another."

"Well, I'll go with ye, then." He proclaimed, rushing up to her and grabbing her hands, "Jus tell me wot t'do. I can help." Cassidy assured as he squeezed her hands. She shook her head, "Cassidy.." She held her breath a moment, trying to figure out how to approach this situation, "You're the only one that knows exactly what's going on with Jesse. _I_ need you here." She emphasized the last part especially.

They stared at one another, "Yer comin' right back here, then?" He asked. With her patience running thin, she huffed, sticking a hip out raising her brows and staring with wide eyes up to him. She had tried pulling his heart strings and it proved to work, "Alright." He groaned, pulling her hands around his back and hugged her into his chest. He leaned his head down to kiss the top of hers. "And don't open your mouth to Jesse." Her muffled voice reminded him, "You think stepping into the sun and bursting into flames is bad..."

She pulled away and he stared at her with a dopey smile. "What?" She asked flatly. "Nothin'." He said quietly, "Jus' glad we got last night together before ye ran away." He pushed some of her hair out of her face, to which she reached above her head and pulled her hair back, beginning to braid again. His arms were around her still as she matched her tone of voice with his, but her words had a bit of a bite to them in comparison, "I was going to _leave_ last night, actually. Would've given me more time." She said.

"Oh?" He mused, "Why didn't ye leave, then?"

"I wasn't expecting to see you standing in such good shape. When you showed up I was caught off guard," Her hands stayed busy as her braid was almost done, "Hense the gun." "Ah," He lifted his head with a laugh, "So y'felt _inclined_ t'go out with me _only_ cos I caught y'off guard?"

"Mostly." She said cockily.

He knew how entirely full of shit she was as he grabbed her, and pushed her against the door that was behind her, cutting her gasp short by pressing his lips against hers. Her arms dropped and the nearly completed braid coming loose once more. Contrary to her groan of annoyance against his kiss, she seemed to be enjoying it.

After some time, he pulled away and she tilted her head, her hair falling to the side. How easily he got a rise out of her would always be entertaining to him. The wider he grinned the narrower her brows got. He stared down at her, "If I knew all I needed t'do was set myself on fire t'get you to t'agree t'spend some time with me, I would've done it a lot sooner." She glared up at him, "Don't _ever_ do that again." Lily said sternly. Her seriousness was apparent, which made Cassidy feel good about the fact that the entire situation had resonated in her that way. Pushing away from him, she grabbed her bag and held a hand on the door. "Let's go." She said, throwing her sunglasses down on her nose, "I need a ride to my truck."


	26. Beneke Corporation

Lily had been driving for a good couple of hours, and only felt terrible anxiety the entire way, figuring it was more than likely from the array of events that occurred in the short amount of time she spent in Annville. Her mind continued to race about everything that happened, combined with her rush thoughts of the proposal she had to present at her work in less than 8 hours. She would barely make the meeting in time when she got there.

Each time she tried to practice her proposal speech out loud to herself, her train of thought was disrupted by images of Cassidy burned into her memory. From him ripping open the bag filled with her blood and devouring it leaving her scared for her life, to him ripping off her clothes as she clung onto him with desperation for wanting it all from him, she saw everything. An absurd and disturbing conflict of emotions.

She distracted herself by wondering about how church was going, and whether her brother was able to do what Cassidy had told her.

Her brother was calling down God? _The_ God?

She thought to herself what Jesse would be asking. About Genesis, about his plan for him. Pfft. She thought about how much he would be shoving _his plan_ for him in her face when she got back. She wondered how things went for Tulip. If things were better with them since the day he let Cassidy burn. He'd made amends with Cassidy, so that was a good thing.

Cassidy.

She wondered whether God created Cassidy to become a vampire, or if Cassidy was made into a vampire by pure mistake.

Did God even _know_ about vampires?

She caught herself in this trail of thought and wondered if she was losing her mind.

Clearing her throat, she drank some water, turning on music to try and distract her mind a different way. After many hours, she made it into Worthington, a city south of Houston right on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, with just enough time to stop at her apartment. It was in a large, new high rise building, in one of the two penthouse suites, no less.

As she burst in a tornado of panic into her suite, and although she was rushing, she relieved as she felt instantly at home. The ambiance was far from warm and cozy, that wasn't what relaxed her. What calmed her was order, a feeling as if everything had a place. It was an entirely open concept, with mostly white decor an appliances. As she walked in, she saw her kitchen, living area, and more importantly, the entire glass wall leading out to the large balcony that viewed the cityscape and water.

For a brief moment she had to be appreciative she was back in her comfort zone, before she scrambled to get ready and run back out. She made it to the large office building, to the 23rd floor into the board room, greeted by her bosses and colleagues, as well as the potential partners she was pitching to.

Thankfully, the two hours spent went very well, on their way out, she said her goodbyes to her few colleagues, the potential partners that she was confident she'd won over, and all that was left was her to leave. Though it was a very professional and traditional work environment, the type of business was not.

The company Lily worked for offered a variety of services given only by the most expertise of the desired trade. From contract killing to helping distribute drug products, if the client could pay the price, Benke Corporations could find the solution.

Lily was involved in a few different aspects. At first, she worked all over. Never in the same place, traveling near and far, and usually with the help of a couple other colleagues to either bounty hunt or on rare occasions, to contract kill. Assassination wasn't her prefernce, but she kept her head down and worked until her hard work was noticed and praised. She'd never met the people who hired, only received the money from Beneke for getting the job done. There was a time where when she was done one task, she was already getting a call to be assigned to another.

Now she' worked her way up, proved herself worthy, and now had herself a place to call home

She was the ones making the calls now, finding the right people to please the clients and partners, rarely having to do anything herself other than plan and deal with the partners and clients directly. Today, she'd pitched an offer for heavy duty weapons, a contract worth 4 million dollars, one of the most important partnerships she would have signed yet, with the largest cut of commission if the deal went through.

As she walked to the door someone grabbed her arm, she turned to see a coworker, but more technically, one of her bosses, Lorenzo Beneke. Only a few years older than her, he'd gained a portion of the company from his uncle, who was still the running as CEO.

The top of the chain at Beneke Corp. was referred to around the firm as the Superiors. When the superiors where involved, it was high tension, since it was very rare they showed their faces in the flesh. The superiors included the CEO and about half a dozen other co-founders including Lorenzo, who showed his face the most out of any of the Superiors and was also the youngest and most inexperienced among all of them by a long shot. However, it didn't make people any less anxious when he was around. Whatever he reported to the rest of the Superiors was taken seriously, and he could make anything he wanted out of any situation if you rubbed him the wrong way.

He was tall, slender and more than a bit of a tacky douche. His stupid paisley patterned business suit proved that point. As if Lorenzo wasn't already a recipe for a nightmare colleague, it multiplied by how he'd, on many occasions, asked Lily out, only for her to deny him over and over again with the same 'dating coworkers is against company policy' excuse, just to have him insist those rules couldn't apply to him, being the CEO's nephew. She'd hardly acknowledged his existence in the few years she'd worked around him, so she had no idea why he was still so dead set on making her life that much more annoying.

"Lillian," He said. She turned to him and raised her eyebrows with a smile as if she gave a shit, "Lorenzo, hi." He smiled, his hands in his dress pant pockets, "You did great today." She nodded, "Thank you. I feel confident they'll sign as partners." "We were worried about you all week." He said abruptly. She knew when he said 'we' he meant himself mostly, "Couldn't track you for that while there..."

"Yes," She cut him off and sighed, "Family issues." She said with a business professional bite of 'none-of-your-business'. She turned around to leave but he grabbed the door, and she felt a wave of annoyance take over her as she tried to suppress it.

"I couldn't help but overhear from Ezra that you got yourself into trouble." He said. She kept her face straight, knowing very well when Lorenzo said 'overhear' what he meant was 'forced information out of'.

Ezra was one of the company's IT technicians, and probably the only colleague that Lily gave a single shit about. On more than a few instances, he'd had Lorenzo pin him in a corner and give information to him, mostly of the whereabouts of Lily. Ezra always tipped Lily off. On several occasions, Lily would be able to either notice Lorenzo before he noticed her, or avoid him completely, depending on the situation, all thanks to heads up Ezra had given.

Ezra worked closely with Lily in each task she had, always incorporating his nifty technical aspects to each assignment. Working with her was securing his position within the company. Besides, working with her was a slice of pie compared to working with Lorenzo. They each felt equal amounts of nauseous about him, Ezra being gay helped him and Lily's mutual feelings for Lorenzo that much more. Ezra's sympathy was much appreciated by Lily.

Lily hoped Ezra didn't get too much trouble from Lorenzo all because of her absence. She knew saying less was better in this case, "I would hardly call it trouble," She said vaguely, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a lot to catch up on." Lorenzo nodded, grabbing a small file folder from his suitcase, "I couldn't help but notice a new credential to your record." Her interest more than peaked, she let go of the door handle and turned back to him, snatching the file and opening it.

Inside was hardly anything: Paperwork proving clearance for any criminal records, driving record and finally...

A copy of a hospital discharge and start of a sheriff report from Annville.

He titled his head and smiled, his cheesy grin like the shape of a coat hanger as the edges of his mouth curved, "'Hardly seems like a massive understatement, don't you think?" Lorenzo said with eager suspicion, "From the sounds of it you got yourself pretty badly hurt."

In her mind, possibilities how to get out of this situation were racing. But nothing seemed without flaw. He continued, "Naturally, we were concerned for your well being. You left without reasoning. It was out of character." His words were well recited, "When we saw someone had signed for discharge."

When she remembered what was on the very bottom of the discharge paper, Lily might has well thrown up her insides at that moment. She realized where this had gone, and didn't have to look in the folder in her hands to see in her mind her name beside Cassidy's.

Lorenzo turned to the table behind him, a giant accordion folder now in his hands, "And what was even more surprising was the individual who came up." He let go of the giant folder as it thud to the table beside them, " _Quite_ the interesting paper trail." She felt her body go cold as she was put entirely on spot. "Now."He grabbed her shoulders and dipped down to come face to face with her, "Tell me what happened."

* * *

She'd made up an elaborate story, with many, _many_ fabrications. The gist of it was she _did_ go to Annville for family issues, but she was immediately taken by Cassidy, who had held her hostage, which is why she was so impossible to get a hold of, and so short when she _was_ able to talk.

The sun was going down and it was dead quiet in the office area. They'd been there a while. Lorenzo's tie was off, Lily had her blazer off as she sat on a chair beside him, she'd been crying for a while now but she was really amping it up now for the grand finale, "I told him," She sniffed, "I told him that if he didn't let me talk to someone, that they would come looking for me." Her voice was clenched as she grabbed another issue, "It's the only thing that kept me barely alive." She sobbed into her hands, falling into Lorenzo's chest desperately, which was not helping the situation with him, but it _was_ helping her sob story.

After many hours of him questioning every detail, it worked. She'd convinced him that she'd managed to get away from him by the skin of her teeth. Lorenzo was wide eyed and, after much discussion, bought it. Lorenzo wrapped his arms around her as she stifled the urge to puke from the overpowering stench of his cologne, "I can't talk about it ever again. Keep this between us, please?" She begged desperately. He gave his word and she looked up to him as tears poured down her face and smiled, "Thanks." She said softly, her face furrowed as he put a hand up to it.

He leaned into her and kissed her. She didn't reciprocate, but also didn't pull away. Inside, she was boiling at how completely slimy and inappropriate it was of him to make such a bold move when she was playing so distressed. It was hard to suppress the urge to knock him on his ass, but somehow, she did it.

 _Finally,_ she was able to pull away leaning as far away as she could as his hand stayed on her face.

"It's a good thing that place is wiped off the map then. They said no survivors." Lorenzo stated. She didn't move, "What?" She asked, unable to process his words as they slurred in slow motion to her brain in pieces,

"Major explosion."

"Everyone's dead."

"No survivors."

Her face went flat as she leaned back and he held his phone to her face, showing the news broadcast, reporting Annville had blown up. Jesse, Tulip and Cassidy were all dead.

"Anyways," He said standing up, "Why don't you come up to my office for a drink? We could go grab a bite and chat more about-"

Sudden clarity hit her as adrenaline kicked in. She stood up, snatched her bag and blazer as she stood up. He followed her, "Lily," He turned her around, "Everything alright?" He asked, her face as if she saw a ghost, "Ya." "Are you sure?" He asked again. She perked up, "I'm fine." She paced into the elevator, "Goonight." She watched sight of him disappear as the elevator doors closed and she couldn't hold it anymore as she gasped, a panic attack well on it's way. The doors opened on the bottom floor, she staggered down the hallway, feeling faint as she walked out the front doors into the heat wave and felt her knees shake as she ran to her SUV.

She got into and turned her keys, blasting the cold AC as she panted and stared aimlessly, her mind completely blank. Her phone rang through the bluetooth other vehicle boomed loudly through the speakers as she jumped out of her skin, she answered, unable to say anything.

"Lily?" Her brothers voice, "Lily where are you?"

"Jesse?" She whined, a lump in her throat clenching her voice, "You're OK?!" "No," Jesse interrupted, "We're not. We've need somewhere to hide. Where are you?" "We?" She asked, "Who's there? Is Tulip, is Cassidy?" She said as her voice cracked.

"Yes, Lily, we're all here." He was caught by surprise at her emotional tone, "Are _you_ OK? You sound upset. _Where_ are you?!"

"Worthington," She said shortly, her numb mind so foggy with confusion, and exhaustion from conflicting emotions."Ya, I get that," Jesse said, " _Where_ in Worthington? We're just comin' into town now."

Lily's heart leaped out of her chest with relief they were alive, but also panic. The last place they should be after the bullshit she fed to Beneke, "What?" There was a lump in her throat, "Y-you can't come here, I've- I've..." "Lillian," Jesse said sternly, "Just tell me where to go."

"Oh gimme the damn phone!" She heard Tulip's voice in the back, "Lily?!" She said with the phone now at her mouth, "Listen." Before Tulip could speak Cassidy's voice yelled from the background, "There's a fokin' cowboy chasin' us out there with bloody canons for guns that's tryin' t'kill us!"

"What?" Lily asked with more confusion than she'd ever felt.

"Cassidy, would you shut up for a second?!" Tulip scolded before holding the phone back up to her again, "Lily, gimme an address. We need a place to hide. _Now_!"

Lily blinked and her shoulders dropped as she stared aimlessly, "3395 Steel Road. Unit 3002." Tulip hummed, "Got it, we'll see ya there, right?" Lily flickered her eyes up to the office building in front of her, leaning her face against her steering wheel, "Right."

She checked her phone to see the time. She'd been at the office for almost 5 hours, the large portion of that digging her way out of the Lorenzo situation, which she was still unsure if she dug enough. Lily knew enough to believe he had already told the other Superiors about her situation, and she wasn't stupid enough to believe he wouldn't be telling them all about her entire fabrication she'd just come up with.

A profile like Cassidy's was sure to be a high price project. There was no way him or the other Superiors would just dismiss it. Her name was tied to his and soon her story would unravel. She swore out loud to herself. If it wasn't for Lorenzo's unexplained, stupid fixation on her, he would've never looked so in depth of what was going on with her and would've never dug out Cassidy's file.

Turning to the passenger seat, was her bag, inside of it was Cassidy's giant folder that she'd stolen behind Lorenzo's back in mid conversation. If she had any energy in her, she'd look in it, but instead, she stared into her rear view mirror to catch a glimpse of how awful she looked. She rubbed her eyes and started her truck, heading towards 3395 Steel Road, her not-so-humble abode.


	27. Let's Start With God

When they reached their destination, Tulip, Cassidy and Jesse were all surprised at where Lily had lead them. They pulled into a round about entrance of a large high rise building. The ceilings in the round about at the front door were high, from the concierge to the landscaping, there was no doubt this place was too expensive for any of their taste.

Tulip parked her car at the front glass doors and got out, taking off her sunglasses and looking at the giant chandelier above her, "Wow," She said breathlessly with wide eyes. The valet came around sheepishly, staring at Tulip's appearance before feebly asking to take her car, "Oh, uh, sure," She threw the keys at him, forgetting how much debris she had on her and the blood around her mouth from the intestine-siphoning.

"Welcome to Steel Tower" The concierge, an older man, said. He looked up to them and didn't hide his look of shock, "How... can... I be of assistance?" He asked with concern. The sight of the trio odd to say the least, each of them covered in blood and dirt among other things. "Uh," Jesse said, "Unit 3002." The concierge raised a brow and looked at his desk very briefly, "I'm sorry but the tenant of that unit isn't available right now."

Cassidy arched his brow and looked to Jesse in a 'what now?' fashion, expecting him to cut straight to Genesis without restraint just as he'd just demonstrated back on the road on all the police officers.

Jesse remembered Tulip's unimpressed view of Genesis, so he took a deep breath, "Oh, it's my sister," He said, "She, uh, told us to go up there." The concierge straightened his mouth with apparent doubt, "I'm sorry sir but I really can't-" And just as Jesse was reaching the end of his patience when in screeched Lily. She slammed her vehicle in park and jumped out, bag in hand, looking frazzled and even with her sunglasses on, you could see the makeup smudged all around her eyes.

The concierge looked surprised, watching as she marched towards the three of them, who by instinct all leaned back as they saw her coming barreling towards them, dropping her bag and keys to the ground with a thud and throwing her arms around all three of them, all of them nearly falling over.

"Lily." Tulip and Jesse said in confused unison. "You're alive." Lily sang, "What happened?!" She stared at their rough appearances, her hands trailing down to Tulip and Jesse's arms as Cassidy stood between them. The three of them were more confused than anything, not aware with the Annville situation just yet, they figured she meant about the cowboy that was on their case.

"Did you see somethin'?" Jesse said, dipping his head, referring to her having a vision. "Yes," Lily said breathlessly, referring to the newscast. She glanced to the concierge, who had a look of pure concern, "W-Welcome back, .. Can we assist with anything?... Your bag?"

With a deep inhale she shook her head, smiling at him, "No, thank you, just my vehicle." She started walking into the tower, grabbing her bag and placing her vehicle keys on the concierge desk for valet, "Let's go." They filed into the elevator.

"It was bloody unbelievable, Lily! Ye shoulda seen yer brother" Cassidy howled inside the elevator, "The angel hands, the damn phone.. it all worked! It fockin' really did call heaven!" Cassidy went on as Lily stared down to the floor, "Lily," He said, "Are y'listenin'?" She was unsure how to react. They were all acting so aloof about the situation, little did she know they had no idea why she was so disturbed. She turned to Tulip, "Your uncle?" She asked softly. Tulip shook her head, "What about him?" She arched her brow, "Did he see all that shit storm at the church? Pfft," Tulip pursed her lips, looking forward and crossing her arms, "No."

Lily blinked her eyes shifting to the side, her brain trying to piece together what was going on. "What?" Tulip said at her confused state. When the elevator door opened, there was a long hallway with only the odd door. "What happened wit you, anyway?" Cassidy asked close to her side. They walked past unit one, and further around the curved hallway at the very end, waited unit 2. As Lily grabbed her key to open the door, Cassidy asked her again, "Hello? What happened?" When Lily opened the door, Cassidy's mind was cleared from asking her again.

The three of them stared in awe, the glow of the immaculate suite a complete contrast against their worn out appearances.

The first thing that was noticeable was the glass wall, on the other side of it was a patio area. The kitchen was directly to the left past the doorway, an entirely open concept with the dining table right in front, connected to the living area where there stood a bookcase almost as tall as the high ceilings, and a fire place. In the far left corner Cassidy spotted a liquor cabinet, fully stocked as if it was never touched. The entire place was like a show room, pristine condition and looked as if it'd never been lived in.

"Wow." Tulip said, her eyes wandering around at the luxurious surroundings, "You got a lot done in a few years, huh?" She asked. Jesse glanced at the high ceilings and light fixtures.

Lily closed and locked the door behind all of them, "Ooh," Cassidy winced, lurking around the kitchen area as the sunset had sunlight directly beaming in through the glass wall, "Bright in 'ere." He chuckled. "Oh Cass. I'm sorry." Lily said softly, to which Cassidy looked at her with surprise at her soft and sweet demeanor, watching her as she rushed up to a switch on the wall and flicked it up, the windows tinting themselves instantly. She looked at his dopey expression as he didn't conceal his adoration for her, "Better?" She asked.

Cassidy looked at her, "Yea," He said in amazement, pointing at the suddenly tinted wall of glass, "How'd'ye do that?!"

"Electric tint." Lily said shortly, unable to match his enthusiasm, "You guys, what _exactly_ happened to Annville?" She asked. "Cassidy pretty much summed it up in the elevator. Angel hands. Called Heaven. You know." Lily shook her head, "Not that, how'd you make it out alive?"

Jesse scrunched his brow, "From the cowboy?"

Lily shook her head and huffed in frustration. Lily grabbed a remote and pointed it at the fireplace as a TV set popped out, flicking through news channels rapidly until she found the local news, still reporting on the explosion in Annville. Lily realized they hadn't been on the same page this entire time, her shoulders dropped as Tulip's face mimicked what hers must have look like when she found out, "What?" Tulip choked out staring at the TV, walking to sit on the white leather couch.

Jesse slowly walked to Tulip's side, his hands on his hips as they both stared with the same numb look.

After several minutes, Cassidy was the only one to break the silence, standing in front of the three of them. It was like he was talking to zombies. Tulip and Jesse's minds numb about the news of Annville, Lily's mind numb about the situation she was in.

She'd just told an elaborate lie about getting away from Cassidy, yet here he was, right in the middle of it all. Lily should've been in a panic. With such close watch on her, it was not _if_ but _when_ they would discover she lied about it all, but instead, she just stared past Cassidy, "I'm gonna shower," She said feebly, "There's another shower in the front washroom. Help yourselves."

Jesse sauntered over to the liquor cabinet, grabbing a bottle of tequila and another of whiskey.

Tulip hardly looked up, "What do you think you're doin', Jesse?" She asked flatly. Jesse sighed, "Lily said help ourselves." He grabbed a couple glasses with his other hand, "So I'm helpin' ourselves." Tulip blinked slowly and Jesse walked back up to her, handing her a glass. Cassidy looked at them with sympathy, his brows low as he turned his head towards Lily's room, the door shut and the sound of the shower running from her en-suite washroom.

Lily sat in the shower for a long time. When she finally found it in her to get up, she pulled her hair up and dragged her feet into her closet to put on casual clothes, a tank top and leggings. She grabbed a random shirt that hung up and held it in her hands, sitting on the bench in her closet. Her ears rang as her brain was clogged and reached to capacity with all the things that raced inside of it.

She zoned out, suffering from major mental whiplash.

"You doin' OK?" Cassidy's voice echoed in her head as she slowly looked up to him standing at the door of her walk in closet door. "Jus' wanted t'check up on ye." He was all cleaned up, with his grip on a glass of whiskey in his hand. It was amazing how him simply holding whiskey in a _glass_ instead of the neck of an _entire_ _bottle_ made him look put together.

She rubbed her face and he sat at her side, tilting the glass to her. She took it and threw her head back, wincing as the whiskey hit her stomach. "I only heard about Annville for two minutes before Jesse called. But it was the longest 2 minutes of my life." Her eyes were red and she looked into his, his sunglasses hanging on the collar of his shirt.

He wrapped his arm around her back, "We're fine, alright?" He said as he pulled her in, "We're fine." He looked down at her, "Nice place y'got yerself." He said quietly, "That electric tint shite, hmph," He laughed shortly, "That's somethin' that everyone should have in my opinion. Would make my life a Hell ova lot easier, that's fer damn sure." She stared at her bag, "Ya, that was my friend Ezra who did that for me." Her tone was flat as she zoned out on her bag, which was outside her walk in closet beside her bed. She hardly thought about telling Cassidy the shit storm of trouble he'd now involved her in, tying his name and history to her. She knew that would have to wait.

"C'mon" He stood up, "We're sittin' outside." She followed his lead, walking out to the patio. The sun was gone and Tulip and Jesse had made themselves comfortable, also cleaned up.

Outside on the patio, there was a set of outdoor furniture. On the table was an array of bottles Jesse and Tulip had brought out from the inside cabinet, decent dents in quite a few of in them, considering they were all just cracked open. As Lily sat down beside them, Cassidy leaned on the couch arm at her side and sparked a cigarette. Lily sighed grabbing an ashtray from the table and putting it between her and Cassidy, who got the hint to make sure he was cautious of his ash.

Lily looked up to the bottles, "Did you grab any-" Jesse interrupted her as he sat forward from leaning on the back of the couch and picked up a bottle from the table, a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, "Glad to see you haven't changed too much."

Lily sighed, grabbing the bottle of red wine and a glass, the bottle glugging as she kept pouring. She placed the bottle back on the table in front of her and reached her hand up to Cassidy, grabbing his smoke from his mouth as she took a drag. Cassidy rose his brows. "

Where do we start?" Lily asked exhaling a long trail of smoke.

"Let's start with God." Said Jesse bitterly.


	28. Lawful and Unlawful

There was a solid minute of silence as they tried to digest all the information each of them had just laid on the table.

"We need to keep movin' Lily." Jesse finally said, "God's out there somewhere. We have to find him." He puffed from a cigarette and flicked it, the ash landing on the patio floor. Lily pushed an ashtray towards him.

"Even worse," Cassidy chimed in, "There's a psychopath cowboy trackin' us somehow."

It was the middle of the night, and Lily had a lot to think about, but one thing she knew for sure was that leaving suddenly was the worst idea. She swallowed, "I can't leave here, Jesse."

"Why not?" Jesse asked sharply, not looking away from Lily as he flicked his cigarette closer to the ashtray this time, but still missing it by a good foot. Lily groaned, standing up and picking up the ashtray to put it on the armrest beside him, "They won't let me just leave. Not a chance." She said, sitting back down where she had been this entire time and raising her glass to her mouth.

"Who?" Cassidy asked loudly and immediately defensive. She peaked up at him sitting at her side against the arm rest, before putting her face back into her glass, "Beneke." She lowered her eyes as she drank from her glass, "My job, Cassidy."

"Well why th'Hell not?" Cassidy questioned in shock. Jesse looked up at him, his brow scrunched with confusion, his curiosity peaked as he noted Cassidy's defensive behavior, "Y'jus gotta tell 'em yer quittin. If not that, jus stop showing up all together, then." Then, Tulip and Jesse's eyes lowered to Lily at the same time. She looked at each of them before turning her eyes back to Cassidy, "I don't have a choice, Cassidy." She groveled.

"Beneke's got you wrapped up that close, huh?" Jesse said flatly.

"Wot?" Cassidy scrunched his brow.

"If I quit or stop showing up, I might as well slit my own throat." She said flatly. "The Hell y'are!" Cassidy said, the defensiveness turning to straight up anger, "We'll get rid of 'em before they ever had a chance t'look at ye!" He said, pointing a finger at the ground, "Those bastards don't stand a chance. Wot is it y'even do fer 'em?!"

Lily shook her head, as if Cassidy knew who 'those bastards' were at all, and she ignored his question about her occupation, "I just need a little more time." She said very quietly, leaning and placing her head in her hands, "I think I have a plan." She said towards the ground. Lily had been racking her brain since her confrontation with Lorenzo. "You think?" Jesse asked. Lily rolled her eyes faintly, "I think." She repeated sitting back up and looking to Jesse, "Like I said, I need a little more time." Lily stared at her brother and Tulip, who had been zoning out for what seemed to be the entire time with nothing to say. Lily looked back to Jesse, "You guys keep moving. You need to, I get that, but I have to stay."

"Hm," Cassidy hummed, "Then we'll catch up with them later, then? Don't too much like the idea of splittin' up at all. Suppose it's not the worst thing.. " Cassidy went on. Lily looked up at him, "You need to go with them, Cassidy."

Cassidy's neck practically snapped he'd turned to her so quickly, "Yer outta yer mind if y'think ye'll ever be on yer own again." Lily was noticing Jesse's attentiveness towards how Cassidy had been acting, and it made her a little worried. She leaned to Cassidy with a distinct look in her eyes that he'd seen many times now that blatantly said 'shut the fuck up', "Cassidy-" As she was about to rebuttal, he quickly placed his hand on her mouth, "No, ye listen t'me now." He said calmly yet sternly, as if he was scolding a child, "The last time the three of us split from you, a murderous, mantrackin' cowboy suddenly came after us, t'kill for reasons unknown, and an entire bloody city blew up!" Cassidy said dramatically.

Tulip's eye's flickered for a moment at Cassidy's last statement. Lily turned from Cassidy towards Tulip, eager to get the attention away from Cassidy, but also concerned for Tulip's well-being, "Are you OK?" Lily asked, watching Tulip as she drank from her glass, swaying a bit now, "Its juss... my uncle." Tulip slurred, as she closed her eyes and shook her head. Jesse hadn't realized how upset she was, his mind had been wrapped up in all the talking.

He stood up, "C'mon." He said to Tulip, helping her as she reluctantly stood up. Lily stood up quickly, grabbing a bottle and putting it in her arms. "There's a hotel across the highway, right?" Jesse said quietly. Lily crossed her arms and nodded, "Yea, but you guys can stay here, I mean, the couch-" Jesse shook his head, "Don't worry about it." He smiled, "Let's rest up. We'll get a move on in the mornin'."

Lily nodded, looking at Tulip with soft eyes, her heart hurting for her as she was walking them to the door of the patio. "You comin', Cass?" Jesse said, his arm wrapped around Tulip as he guided her. Lily looked from the ground up to Cassidy, who sat on the arm of the patio couch still, "No," Lily sighed, "He can't go anywhere." She said. Jesse shook his head, "Why not?"

With her arms crossed she explained, "Cause Beneke knows who he is and if he's seen anywhere it's going to be really, _really_ bad."

Jesse looked to Cassidy before turning to walk inside the apartment, "Alright," He said, "Goodnight." "Jesse," Lily said, walking him to the front door, her voice was quiet, "Be really careful around here, OK?" She said. Jesse smirked, "Don't worry." Lily nodded, before suddenly some noise from down the hall caught their attention. Jesse and Lily exchanged the same glance.

"Wot?" Cassidy asked from the patio door. Jesse and Lily both looked at him, and Lily quickly opened her bedroom door, waving them in. Jesse took Tulip in and laid her on the bed as Cassidy followed in after, watching her run into her walk in closet as she changed back into a dress and heels. Cassidy waved his hands, "Wot th'Hell-" "Sh!" Lily whispered, Jesse came up to her closet doorway, watching her pull her dress down her hips, Jesse glanced away, not wanting to see his little sisters underwear.

"Who is it? Why are you changing?" Jesse asked. Lily pulled her hair out of her dress and grabbed Jesse's shoulders, "I'll tell you all about it when he's gone." There was a knock at her door, Jesse left it alone, watching Cassidy chase after her, "Wait a minute-" He said sternly, "If you think I'm gonna just sit 'ere-" Trying to find words to make him shut up, she raised her brow to him, "Don't talk unless you want me to die." And she couldn't have found words that did the opposite. As she turned to close her bedroom door in his face, he yanked her by her arm, "Lily," He hissed, "Tell m'wot the Hell is goin' on!" She breathed in, "Please, let me deal with this and I'll tell you everything." They stared at each other. " _Everything_." She repeated.

He reluctantly let go and she closed the door on his face.

Jesse sat on the bed beside Tulip, who laid down with her eyes shut. Cassidy glanced at Jesse who had a hard stare on his face before turning back to the door, looking through the crack. Jesse was at his side almost immediately after. As if on queue, at her door there was a knock. Lily had all of 30 seconds to compose herself. Grabbing some papers from a desk nearby and scattering them on her kitchen counter. When she opened the door, it was who she presumed.

She opened the door, "Lorenzo," She said, "What the Hell are you doing here at 1 in the morning?" Lily asked. Lorenzo chuckled, "Why the Hell are you still in a dress and heels looking like you're on your way to work at 1 in the morning?" He countered with his cheesy clothes hangar grin, "May I come in?"

Lily sighed, walking in towards the kitchen as Lorenzo stepped in, "Same reason you're wearing a suit. Because I _am_ working, Lorenzo." She held her arms out to the paperwork, "Hm," He said with his hands in his pockets. Expecting him to walk towards her, but instead, he was walking towards the patio. If he saw the mess of bottles and cigarette butts, he would've known that it wasn't just her inside the apartment, and things would get ugly fast.

She'd rather not have to leave Worthington running and disorganized and instead deal with leaving in a very surgical manner. Lorenzo being killed in her apartment wasn't her ideal situation. "So," She said stepping behind him like a shadow, "Late night for you? Where'd you come from, or where are you... off to?" She asked, looking him up and down. He turned to her surprised at her approach, walking towards her again as she backtracked quickly to the kitchen.

"Just on my way, actually." He watched as she walked further away from him like a magnet being pushed away.

From Lily's bedroom, Tulip sat up from the bed and breathed in deep. Cassidy turned towards her and Jesse walked back to her, putting his finger to his lips, telling her to stay quiet.

"I'm also on my way to bed," Lily's voice continued, "Big day tomorrow, so.." She made sure the kitchen island was between them.

There was an awkward pause, "Is everything alright with you?" He asked, walking even more towards her, around the island. Both Cassidy and Jesse were on their toes with suspicion. "You reek like an ashtray," He noted. She narrowed her brows, "Yea, I've been stressing about how much I need to catch up on." She said with a faint smile. He nodded, "I understand," with a sigh he leaned against the fridge beside her, "I know I scared you away after I kissed you the last night." He said abruptly. Lily's shoulders raised by natural reflex.

Jesse and Cassidy both stiffed as they watched through the crack of the door.

Lily felt her skin tingle as her blood ran cold, feeling as if she was about to faint. She watched her bedroom door in the corner of her eye. It was a miracle Jesse hadn't jumped out and killed Lorenzo already, "Lorenzo," She said quietly.

He dropped his shoulders and shook his head with a nauseating smile, throwing his arms out, "I'm doing it again," He chuckled, "Alright, alright. I'll go." He said walking closer to her, "Just came to drop this off." He reached into his coat and pulled out a small envelope, he handed it to her as she dragged her heavy legs back towards the door, "Great." She choked out, "Goodnight." She said between clenched teeth.

"Goodnight." Lorenzo said, and at the same time Lily closed the door and turned her back, Jesse was already behind her, Cassidy right at his side. Just as Jesse was about to talk Lily threw her hand over his mouth, "Hush!" She threw the envelope onto her kitchen counter as she pushed Jesse back, past Cassidy, walking out to the patio. Cassidy leaned against the bedroom doorway looking from Tulip sleeping on Lily's bed towards where Lily and Jesse stood outside on the patio. Listening attentively.

"Who was that?" Jesse asked sternly as he stepped outside, as he closed the door behind him, it merely muffled their voices, but Cassidy and Tulip could still hear everything. Tulip awkwardly went to grab something for them to drink as Cassidy listened intently.

Lily's shoulders raised as she cringed, "Shh! Jesse, could you be any louder?" She talked quietly, "That was one of my business partners. Technically he's my boss, but that's only because he's Beneke's nephew." She groveled as she talked into her wineglass as she threw back some red wine.

" _Beneke's_ _nephew_?" Jesse said shockingly.

"Anyways," She tried to move on.

"No, not _anyways_. What's goin' on with you and him?" Jesse asked interrogatively.

Lily scrunched her brow in surprise, "What? Nothing, Jesse. Ugh!" She scoffed, "I can't stand the guy."

"Did he force anything on you?" Jesse asked, his one hand on his hip as the other pointed towards where Lorenzo had been inside her house, "Cause I swear to God I'll-"

Lily's brow scrunched again, this time is offense, "Jesse! As if I'd ever let that happen." She said defensively.

Jesse crossed his arms, "What was all that kissin' you stuff about, then?" Lily sighed, "I can't believe you're actually talking to me like this right now." Jesse shook his head, "I need you to tell me, Lily, is he a problem?" "No!" Lily spat loudly at him. The two of them were silent for a moment.

"Just makin' sure." Jesse said, a low growl to his voice, "If he becomes one, you let me know." He dipped his head at her and flashed his grave eyes, promising so much with one stare. Lily felt her blood run cold again, "Jesse, I would tell you." She said carefully, "Promise." He nodded, "Good." Lily blinked, "Thank you for listening to me and staying quiet." He sighed and nodded, "It wasn't easy." He said as he walked back inside. "I know." She said to him on his way back in.

Lily stood at the railing of the patio and stared at the lights of the city below. She grabbed the glass from the patio table and finished her the rest of the wine in it and exhaled, she turned to walk back inside and walked past Cassidy into her room where Jesse sat beside Tulip, talking softly to her to wake her up.

"Maybe wait a bit before you leave." Lily said. Jesse nodded.

Lily walked back out to the patio, staring at the view as she poured another glass of wine.

"So," Cassidy's voice made her jump out of her skin. She gasped as she turned towards him, her heart racing. "Cassidy! _Don't_ do that." She groaned, turning back to the sink as her cheeks got hot with embarrassment.

"This Lorenzo clown." He said in a new tone Lily hadn't heard before, "He kissed you last night?" Lily saw his brows were narrow above his sunglasses. She shook her head and looked back to the view in front of them, "Don't worry about it Cassidy." She said quietly.

"I'll worry about wot I wan'ta worry about." He said shortly, "Is he gonna be around ya a whole lot then?" He asked, leaning a hand on the railing in front of her, giving her little personal space. "Keep your voice down," She warned, looking inside towards Jesse. She looked back up to him, her face flat, "What are you getting at right now, Cassidy?"

She turned to him with her best tough front, for she was truly annoyed that he could possibly feel the right to act the way he was. He blinked and shook his head as if she was an idiot, "Wot am I getting at?! Wot I'm gettin' at is that I'm not comfortable with wotever it was that was goin' on jus now,"

Lily rolled her eyes and sighed, unable to believe she was getting the same talk from both Jesse and Cassidy, as if she was useless and unable to defend herself.

"So your brother." Cassidy said much too loud for comfort, "It's alright fer 'im t'look out fer ya n'make sure that some arsehole isn't goin' on about 'is own way t'-"

"Cassidy," She hissed quietly grabbing his arms as she squeezed them in, what she thought was, a warning, "Shh!" He grabbed her arms back, much harder than she was grabbing his.

"No, you listen t'me." He growled at her as he dipped his eyes down to look into hers. "No one's gonna be doin' or treatin' y'anyway like that." He hissed. From inside, they could hear Jesse shfiting around. "Cassidy," Lily said softly, "Let go of me." Cassidy's eyes flickered as he had a moment of realization, letting go of her and stepping back.

Lily felt herself take a deep breath at his release, turning to walk into where Jesse was. Just as she stepped in, he was practically carrying Tulip. "We're gonna get goin' now." Jesse said. Lily raised her shoulders and breathed in, "OK," She said, "Let me know when you're checked in safe, please. Be care-" "Careful, yes." Jesse finished with a smile, "Goodnight, Lil." Lily smiled faintly back at Jesse, the front door closing.

She starred at the closed door for a second before turning to her bedroom door. She opened it and walked in. To her left was her bag, and to her right was her bed, looking like a sign of God itself. Her brow furrowed at the bed, wanting so badly to just fall onto it and hibernate, but she knew now was the opportunity she needed as she rolled her head back to the left - to her bag.

She walked out of her bedroom and back to the patio, Cassidy still outside with a cigarette in his hand. "Hey," Cassidy said with a smile, he stood up and walked towards her, his demeanor suddenly shifted to be much softer and kind. It was clear he had realized how out of line he'd just stepped and he was now desperately backpedaling. With a cigarette between his lips he smiled at her as he walked up to her, as if to make a move.

Lily breathed in, and held her hands out to him. He stopped in his tracks, "Wot?" She pointed her thumb over her shoulder towards inside, "Can I talk to you?"

"Ya," He raised his brows, and watched her make her way inside as he turned back to the patio table, grabbing his bottle of whiskey, moving the smoke from his mouth and, to her pleasure, pressing it out on the tray. He exhaled at trail of smoke as he walked into the apartment. She stood at the kitchen island, "Sit," She said, pointing at the bar stools on the other side. Cassidy arched a brow, but didn't argue as he sat across from her, his hand around his bottle of single-malt, and she continued to stand.

She went to a cabinet behind her and grabbed a glass, sliding it to him as he grabbed it, pouring his whiskey into it. Lily reached to the ground, and pulled up her bag, placing it on the counter, opening it up with her bangle, which was still loose and in her pocket, to bring out a small, white file folder, the top said LILLIAN CUSTER "This," She pushed it out to between them, "Is my record. Criminal, driving, _everything_. My entire lawful and unlawful existence is in the confines of this folder."

His brows were narrow and he took of his sunglasses. She did her best to avoid direct eye contact until absolutely necessary.

She reached her hand back into her bag, "And _this_ ," She said clenching her voice, using both hands to haul out a large accordion file folder, "Is yours." And in front of her, in between the two of them, she dropped the giant accordion file folder with a **thud**.


	29. Come Back

Cassidy raised his glass to his mouth, speaking into it, "I don't need t'see the paperwork t'know yer cleaner than me. _On paper_ at least. No need t'try n'rub my nose in it." He said bitterly, taking in a mouthful of scotch.

Lily grabbed his large file as if to open it, to which he stood up very quickly, the stool beneath him screeching against the floor. His hand slammed down beside hers onto the giant folder, and he looked up at her. She finally found it in her to look at him. His ghastly eyes were as hard as she expected and so was his face. She kept her composure as she didn't pull back, "Look at mine." She said quietly. He turned his head, keeping his eyes locked onto hers. She glanced down, "Look at it, Cassidy."

He inhaled, dragging her folder towards him as he sat down again, staring at it with his elbows on either side of him on the counter. He looked back up at her. She stood with her arms crossed waiting for him.

He shook his head, opening the folder to find two pages of paper. One was a drivers abstract, which showed one demerit of the lowest penalty of speeding. He chuckled, sipping his scotch, "20 miles over th'local speed limit. Which was dismissed." He groveled as he raised his brows at her, "Yer a wild one." Her face was flat, not amused by his poking fun. "What else?" She asked.

Cassidy had a smirk cross his lips, "Wot else? Ticket fer littering in the park? Didn't pick up yer dog shite?" He mocked, he sipped his scotch again as he looked at the other piece of paper.

It was a copy of the remittance papers from the Annville hospital. His smirk faded, and his lightheartedness died as he remembered how hurt she was that day. He looked up at her, "So, wot?" Her mouth was crooked as she reached her hand out to the paper, pressing it down on the table and pointing at the bottom with the tip of her pointed, soft pink nail.

At the bottom was a copy of their two signatures under sign out authority.

 _Proinsias Cassidy_

 _Lillian Custer - Cassidy_

Her finger grazed over his name and she lifted it to his giant file and poked it, an awfully unimpressed look on her face, not that Cassidy would've known how unimpressed she was, he hadn't looked up from the paper in front of him.

He stared at the names side by side and smiled. Lily's face released from it's hardened state as she looked at Cassidy smiling longingly at it. She stepped back, walking around the bar to his side as she pushed his shoulders. The stool slipped from under him as he caught himself on his feet, looking at her with confusion.

With her best stern and serious tone, so looked up at him, "Why are you _smiling_?!" She yelled, "Do you understand how fucking bad this is? Signing your _name_?" Lily scolded, "When you've got all _this_ tied to it?!" She threw her arm out to his file.

He leaned even closer to her, "Why does any of my shite storm of my past matter t'you anyway!?" He yelled back defensively, "Give yerself a hundred more years n'I'm sure yer folder will stretch out too-"

She interrupted him, "It matters because I'm now _tied_ into that _shit storm_ now, Cassidy!" His brows were scrunched and narrow, watching her as she quickly and angrily opened his file, on top of the giant file sat a copy of the Annville hospital remittance papers.

Grabbing it and slamming it on the counter beside them, she looked up at him, hoping this time around he would understand the severity of the situation. He looked at it quickly before looking at her, suddenly his heart sank a bit at the idea of her being connected to anything he'd ever done.

"How did that even get in there so quick?" He asked softer. She went back to his file, grabbing the next paper in the pile, an open investigation request from the Annville sheriff's department.

"Turns out the sheriff had a bad feeling about you." Lily said crossing her arms and looking at his file, "Went to check on me in the hospital, when I wasn't there and he'd seen you signed me out he made sure it became an active case." She said.

"Wot d'ye do, Lily?" Cassidy asked, "Wot is yer job with this Beneke bullshite?"

Lily exhaled, "Don't change the subject." Cassidy shook his head, "No. I'm done with y'ignorin' me askin' y'that question. Wot kinda shady shite do they have y'doin' fer them were y'need t'act all secretive." He said mockingly.

She kept her face neutral and blinked slowly. "You told me you would tell me everythin'." He said angrily, his eyes wide, "Was that jus' a lie? To get me t'shut up?" He asked, but she stayed silent.

"Y'know wot," Cassidy said suddenly softer as he crossed his arms and rubbed his chin with his one hand, "Somethin' tells me if y'were caught fer all the shite you've ever done, yer folder would be as wide as mine is." He lowered his eyes.

His instinct, of course, was dead on. Lily felt her body boil with frustration, everything that surrounded her: her amazing penthouse apartment, the beautiful original art that hung around it, the designer clothes and shoes she wore, all of it was only because of her occupation. All of it was going to be just a haunting memory all because of the man who stood in front of her.

"Everything I've worked for, everything I have, is going to Hell." She said quietly. Cassidy raised a brow, not following.

"Beneke knows who you are. That's how I got your file." Cassidy raised his brow, listening to her, "I made up some ridiculously elaborate lie about how you'd hurt me, I was saved and admitted into the hospital only to have you be the one to sign me out, holding me hostage, until finally I was able to escape." He blinked, rubbing the back of his head, beginning to realize her frustration a bit better.

"And now _here_ you are." She said, "Right in the middle of it all. At any point my shitstorm of a lie will unravel. I know way too much about Beneke. I practically signed my life over to Beneke. I can't tell them I'm leaving." She turned towards the patio, looking around the apartment, "I'm going to have leave all of this behind and the rest of my life will be running. I won't be able to even give my name for a coffee without watching my back."

Cassidy's heart broke at the thought of her having to live anything like he did, "No," He said urgently, "No, no, no. No, it won't." He walked up to her grabbing her shoulders and looking at her, "Don't..." She pulled away, "I don't even want to look at you."Cassidy flinched back, "Wot?" He said, "How can y'act like that? Y'know how sorry I've been about everythin' that's happen-"

They began yelling over each other.

"If you never signed your name-"

"I told y'not t'come down from that bloody church loft-"

"I swear if you use that-"

"I can't believe y'think y'had the right t-"

"Fuck you!" She screamed, "Is there any way for you to fuck my life up any more?! I wouldn't _be_ in this conflict if it wasn't for you! **This is all** _ **your**_ **fault!** "

Cassidy didn't have anything to say verbally, but his face said it all. His eyebrows were low and his mouth was straight. He pulled his eyes away and turned as he walked out the front door.

Lily watched him a moment, noticing him throw on his jacket before she began following him, "Where are you going?" He adjusted his jacket and sunglasses and without a word opened the front door. Lily ran and grabbed the door handle as Cassidy stood with his hand on the handle on the opposite side, "Cassidy!" She hissed, "Did you listen to anything I just said?" Her eyes burned into his, "You _can't_ leave, if anyone sees you-" Cassidy yanked so hard on the door to slam it shut, that if her fingers had been in the way on the door instead of on the handle, they certainly would have been cut off.

As the door was ripped out of her hand, she stumbled back. Her shoulders dropped and she felt her eyes get hot. If she wasn't so exhausted she might've shed a few tears, purely in frustration. She grabbed her phone to call him, as she made her way out after him, but he didn't answer. He was long gone down the elevator already, and there was no way she was about to go after him. It was already risky enough for him to be out running around - if she was out running after him, she might as well just bring the both of them to Beneke herself.

She backed up, walking back into her apartment and tried calling again, and still nothing.

Finally she texted him,

 **Come back.**

If she had anything left in her, she would've found a way to track him down, but instead, she dragged her feet to her room and collapsed on her bed. With her last bit of energy she lifted her hand and stared at her phone - still nothing. She texted him again,

 **Please.**

Mere seconds later, she unwillingly fell into a coma of slumber.

Not far down the road, Cassidy had found the first bar, getting his hands onto anything that would numb him enough to forget how angry and terrible he felt. It was bad luck that before he could pound back enough whiskey to suffocate his feelings, a man looking to pick a fight ended up choosing Cassidy of all people to pick it with.


	30. Thirst

Only a couple hours of shut eye and Lily's phone had woken her up with its intense vibrating. She gasped, sitting up in a fluster and grabbing it, "Hello?" Her voice was hoarse as she cleared it. "Lily?" It was Ezra. "Ezra." "God it's great to hear your voice." He said with quiet enthusiasm, "You're back?"

She groaned, rubbing her face, "Yep."

"Where are you?"

"Home." Lily said, "I'm at home." She repeated, feeling like she was in a dream as she looked around her room just to make sure she really was where she thought she was. Her eyes moved down at her body which was still fully clothed.

"I'm coming by." Ezra stated.

She dropped her phone at her side and went to her washroom, splashing water on her face and changing into new clothing. She grabbed her phone again, it was nearly early morning, and still no word back from Cassidy. With a huff, she put her phone down and within minutes, Ezra was buzzing to get access up to her suite.

When Ezra walked in, he was taken aback, commenting on how exhausted she looked. He'd sat her down and nagged her to tell what the hell had happened, but she gave little to no information.

"Please, just-" She took a deep exhale in to prevent herself from getting frustrated, "Ezra. I'm fine. I just want to move forward" She didn't have it in her to explain all the dirty details, and thankfully, Ezra did drop it. "I'm just glad you're alright." He said, patting her shoulder. Before she could break it to him that she had to find a way out of Worthington ASAP, Ezra grabbed a large, black satin duffle bag. The zippers and lining were gold and the inside was lined with navy blue satin, "I have to show you some of the projects I've finished the past week you've been gone."

Lily swallowed, as Ezra took off, speaking so fast it was hard for her brain to keep up. Her eyes followed his hands as he brought out one experiment after another.

Ezra could take a lipstick tube and make it lethal, and Lily admired that. She was thankful he'd taken her mind into somewhere else, for a moment at least, listening to him go on about each thing he had modified.

"Once again, Ezra, you've outdone yourself." Lily said, drinking water and taking a few pills in efforts to numb her pounding head.

"Ya, I did." He admitted, raising his chin proudly. Lily smiled, "Looks like you get a lot more done without me around." She said, a little too morbidly, since Ezra shot his eyes up to hers, "What is that suppose to mean?" He asked cautiously, turning his head.

As she took a breath in, Ezra's eyes burned a little harder into hers. "You're in trouble aren't you?" Ezra asked quietly. With her eyes flickering down at her lap, she swallowed the lump in her throat before looking back up at him. She nodded, her lips flat as he mirrored her nod. "That's what I figured." He whispered.

Suddenly, the phone that was attached on the wall at the door rang - startling the both of them in the quiet moment. Ezra turned towards it, and Lily stood up, walking to grab it. The concierge had asked if someone with the perfect description of Cassidy could have access. With her eyes closed, she rubbed her temples, sitting back down on the white leather couch beside Ezra.

"Who was that?" Ezra asked curiously, his brows narrow. Dragging her eyes to his, she inhaled deeply, struggling to find words to explain, but luckily, she didn't have time to, as at that moment, Cassidy walked in the door of her apartment.

With his eyes widening, Ezra's eyes stared up at Cassidy staggering in towards them. His feet dragged across the floor until suddenly, his eyes caught the two of them and he stopped in his tracks, "Who's this, now?" Cassidy asked, his shoulders dropped as he pointed a thumb at Ezra, who stiffened, his arms crossed, "Who am _I_?!" He scoffed. Lily got up from the couch and walked up to Cassidy, speaking in a low hiss, "Why didn't you answer me?" She waved her phone in his face, the stench of alcohol coming off of him burning her nose.

Cassidy's eyes glared towards Ezra sitting on the couch, "Who th'Hell is this?" He slurred, "I'm gone a coupla hours n'ye already found some _manwhore_ to-" "Excuse me!" Ezra said in offense.

"He's just a friend." Lily interrupted, pushing even closer to Cassidy, " _And,_ not that it's any of your business - he's for the _other team._ " Lily spat, "So just put your dick back in your pants and answer me." She looked up at him, hissing her words practically between her teeth, " _Why_ didn't you answer my calls or texts?"

As he stared down at her, Cassidy felt his head level out a bit, "Battery died." He said shortly, turning towards Lily's bedroom. Lily paced behind him and snagged his phone out of his pocket, and Cassidy didn't even flinch at her completely breaching his privacy. "Wot's that friend o'yers doin' 'ere this hour o'the mornin', anyway?" Cassidy rasped judgmentally, taking off his coat and dropping his pants."Where did you go?" Lily asked over top of his question. He shook his head, entirely naked as he turned and walked towards the washroom attached to her bedroom, "I'm havin' a shower." He stated flatly. "Good!" Lily spat bitterly at his back, marching after him, "You _reek_!"

As he walked into the bathroom, he spared no moment to slam the door in her face.

Lily stared furiously at first the door, then at Cassidy's phone in her hand. She pressed the button on the side and it didn't light up. He hadn't lied - it _was_ dead. There were scratches and dents on the back and sides of it, and an ugly crack through the screen, making her believe he wouldn't be able to read the message even if his battery wasn't drained. She heard her shower start as she breathed in, throwing the phone on a charger beside her bed as she slammed it onto the bedside table.

She reached a hand to her forehead, rubbing it as she walked out of her bedroom, closing the door behind her.

"What's going on?" Ezra asked from the living room. She looked at him, a little shamefully, "Come." She guided him outside to her deck area, careful to speak very quiet in fear Cassidy might hear their every word. Staring out at the city scape in front of them, Ezra leaned on the railing at her side, "Is there anything I can do?" He whispered.

Lily made sure to take in the beautiful view in front of them - burning it into her memory the best she could, knowing there wasn't much more time she'd be able to enjoy it, "Actually," She said, turning her head to him, "I do need something. But nothing you have here," He looked at her eagerly, nodding to encourage her to spit it out, "I need a vacuum repair." Ezra practically jumped out of his skin. There was a vacuum repair company just out of town that was a front. The local owner specialized in providing people with new identities, for a hefty fee, "What!?" He gasped, grabbing her arm, "Lily, I understand you're in trouble but... what did you get yourself into? A new identity?" He scrunched his face in disbelief.

Lily shook her head at him, laughing mockingly, "Two, actually. I need two of them." She said staring to the front of them again, and Ezra could see her eyes go a bit misty. Ezra's shoulders dropped from their tensed state and nodded. Lily walked back inside, to her room, then to her closet, grabbing a bag hidden beneath a shelving unit, opening as she presented a large pile of different denominations of cash.

It was all she had, and a piece of her died handing it all over to Ezra.

With a lump in his throat, he grabbed the bag from her and held the handle in his one hand. His eyes glanced up to the washroom, immediately putting blame on Cassidy without needing to know anything. "Can you at least tell me who he is?" Ezra asked lowly. Lily shook her head, "You being here at all is already bad enough." She shook her head, "No one can know about you even _seeing_ me, alright?" Ezra caught Lily off guard as he yanked her in for a hug, "You're serious." He stated quietly, "You're actually leaving." Lily sighed, wrapping her arms around him softly, "I have to." Her voice broke.

She pulled away, "I have my drop phone." Lily pulled out a flip phone, "Call me on it once you get a new drop phone for yourself." She wrote her drop number down for him, he nodded mockingly, "Yea, yea. This isn't my first time." He smiled as his dewy eyes twinkled, "I'm going to miss you, Lily." He said. With a heavy sigh, she nodded, "I still have to go into the office tomorrow to do some damage control - delete some trails and all that." She explained, rubbing his shoulder, "So this isn't goodbye yet."

With a nod, Ezra's eyes flickered around the apartment one last time before making his way out.

Lily was left with a terrible hole in her, but she knew if there was one person to trust with her life, it was without any doubt him. She fell back onto her bed, her eyes so sore from being so incredibly overtired.

When the bathroom door opened at her side she squinted her eyes open to Cassidy, who stood with nothing on except his sunglasses and a towel wrapped around his waist, his entire upper body drenched and his hair dripping. Lily shivered at how uncomfortable it made her that he could possibly be alright with not drying himself off properly.

"Are you going to tell me where you ran off to?" Lily asked flatly. "I went to th'bar down the road n'that'sit." Cassidy said, "Are y'goin' t'tell me why that friend o'yers was 'ere in the early hours o'the mornin'?" He asked sharply. Lily removed the arm over her eyes, relieving them to be wide, "A _bar_?" She said, sitting up and staring at him standing in front of her. "I asked ye'a question." He said with a bite to his words. "I wasn't done with mine." Lily spat back. "Mhm," Cassidy hummed as he walked to the other side of the room to get dressed.

He dropped the towel and Lily breathed in, staring at his face, "You were at a bar, as in, a _bar_ bar?.." She asked from her bed.

Cassidy groaned, " **Yes** , Lily, a _bar_ bar. Christ." He cursed, pulling his pants over his hips and buttoning them up.

"Did you _talk_ to anyone?" She asked, shaking her head as she closed her eyes trying to understand how he figured it was a good idea after everything she'd told him to just waltz into some public place.

Cassidy grabbed a shirt, "O'course I bloody _talked_." He scrunched his brow annoyingly, "Wot kinda question is that - n'why's it matter?"

Lily huffed, "It matters a **lot**." She said standing up and pacing toward him, "You are a high profile case now, a high profile case that _I'm_ attached to. So it's not just about you anymore, Cassidy. It would just take one person to recognize you and then-" Cassidy grabbed her hands, feeling her heart beat fast the more anxious she got, "Yer right. I'm sorry." He said abruptly. She looked up at him, taken aback by his sudden 180 turn of tone. If his face and eyes didn't convey as much honesty as they did, she would've thought he was fucking with her. "Jus', enough fightin' in stupide circles, alright?" Cassidy said, "Jaysis," Letting out an exhale, he scrunched his brow looking down at her as he shook his head, "Feel like a bloody old couple wit nothin' better t'do than bicker nonsense."

Cassidy tried desperately to diffuse the situation, mostly for his sake, mostly, because truth was, Cassidy had spent hardly enough time to get plastered at the bar before he found the first person to pick a fight with before luring them out to a dingy back alley and draining the blood out of them completely.

The past few days had been the most Cassidy had killed (for the sole purpose of his hunger) in a very long time.

He'd been struggling ever since the day he'd been nearly burnt to death - the day Lily had so stupidly gave him her fresh blood, a lot of it, no less.

Cassidy had tasted it again the night they'd spent in the back of Jesse's pick up, and he'd warned her it made him uncomfortable, but she only made matters worse, teasing him instead of supporting his clear resistance to the idea. The entire time they'd had sex all he could think about was ripping her neck apart or biting off a chunk of her, a feeling he didn't experience until after he'd tasted her blood - and it wasn't proving to go away any time soon.

The more worked up she got, the more her heart raced and the smell of her got stronger. It was a vicious cycle, as the more agitated he became, the worse the thirst got.

The thoughts going through his mind were clashing and awful. One second of looking at Lily would be something as soft and lighthearted in his mind like her beautiful smile, glowing like an angel as he couldn't resist embracing her and kissing her, and the next it would be a gruesome and merciless scenario - his lips on hers as his hands worked their way from around her to around her neck as he broke it effortlessly, leaving her without any fight to drain her of all her blood.

Watching her sleep through the night in the back of the pick up was torturous. Every second testing his self-control more and more, the two of them in the middle of nowhere and her guard completely down.

He hated the thoughts his mind would come up with, and he wished so terribly he could stop them. The few people he'd killed just hours ago had numbed the internal struggle pretty well, but at this moment, each second as she stood in front of him, getting more and more agitated only made his urge so much worse. Blinking at her, he wondered if he should just explain himself. He imagined the possible scenarios if he told her what he was going through:

 _"I have this crazy thirst fer yer blood." He admitted._

She looked up at him, her eyes softening from their hardened state, tears

 _"Cassidy," Lily sang, "Why didn't you say so?" She said in a tone that was too sweet to ever be her before picking up a knife and dragging it down her arm. Cassidy couldn't even admit he was concerned watching her slice herself so calmly, watching the scarlet fluid drip down. Before it could hit the ground he caught it._

 _It felt so good, until Cassidy pulled his head up and all that was left was her lifeless corpse laying on the ground._

He imagined another outcome:

 _"I have this crazy thirst fer yer blood." He admitted._

 _"What?!" Lily gasped in horror, "Stay away from me!" She yelled as she backed away from him, trembling as she didn't dare look away from him._

 _"I'm just sayin'," He panicked, "I-I don't need it. I jus' need y't'help me n'I'll work through this-" He backtracked, trying to console her, but she had already ran far away._

And another:

 _"I have this crazy thirst fer yer blood." He admitted._

 _Lily's brow narrowed, and her eyes were cold. He reached out to her in support, "Don't touch me." She practically challenged. "Lily." He said softly as he grabbed her arm. In one motion she swept him off of his feet and pulled the curtains wide open, the sun beaming in and hitting him as he burst into flames._

Finally Cassidy pulled himself back to reality. With a sharp pain in his stomach, he swallowed his pride and apologized, regardless of the fact that he believed she should be the one begging him for forgiveness for acting so terrible to him earlier, "I'm sorry." He repeated. Lucky for him, Lily was exhausted and didn't have it in her to retaliate any longer. She huffed, letting go of his hands and crossing her arms, walking into the kitchen for water.

The air between them was stale, but it least it wasn't tense any more.

Cassidy sat on her bed in her room, watching her as she walked into her large closet. She changed into a silky robe, tying her hair up as she walked back out to the bedroom. "Do you mind keeping Jesse busy for me tomorrow?" She asked quietly, "I have something to do with Tulip." Cassidy swallowed and nodded, "Yea." He said lowly as he looked to the ground, "Sure."

"Thanks," She said as she turned around to grab her stuff to get ready for the next day, and Cassidy couldn't help it, "Wot about you?" He asked, and she stood up straight and looked at him with an arched brow, "What _about_ me?" She repeated. "Don't _yew_ 'ave anythin' t'say?" He hinted, expecting an apology.

She pressed her lips together and stared at his phone on her bedside table, she pointed her hand at his phone, "I _tried_ to." She said, "Not my fault you didn't answer." To her, that was a good excuse - self-soothing, if anything. But to him, it was just aggravating, which wasn't a good thing for the state he was in. He wondered if it was even a good idea for him to be near her, "Oh, y'tried t'call me. Big deal." He groveled. She turned her back to him and walked to the large window, opening the curtains to see the sun beginning to come up.

By instinct, Cassidy leaned away from the window as Lily looked out, Cassidy stared at the phone in his hand as it turned on, her texts and missed call notifications coming up on the screen, not making him any less frustrated.

"I'm sorry too." Lily finally said, staring out the window still as he noticed how the sun was nearly coming up already. Surprised, Cassidy looked up at her. In an instant, it was as if his flaming anger built up inside of him was extinguished. "I'm just over exhausted." She justified, her arms crossed.

"Hm." Cassidy hummed, "I was an asshat fer stormin' out the way I did, like." He groveled.

Lily nodded as she cleared her throat, closing the tall curtains again, "I'm going to try and sleep for a few more hours." She said as she turned and walked towards her bed, "You should too. Being out all damn night." She flashed her eyes to his. That was about as close as Lily got to asking him to get into bed with her, and he knew that. With a deep breath, he watched her as she began crawling into her bed, "If you're nearly as tired as I am. I feel like I could pass out any second." She stated, collapsing onto the bed as she slid underneath the blankets with a sigh.

Cassidy stared at her - so exhausted she looked as if she'd hardly last another second awake. Swallowing the lump in his throat he uncrossed his arms, "Yea," He rasped softly, "Pretty bagged," He lied as he followed in behind her, completely wired from all the blood he'd consumed. She laid on her back with her eyes closed. As Cassidy got comfortable, her brow crinkled. She turned towards him, breathing in. "Wot?" Cassidy asked self-consciously. She exhaled, "You smell like me." Cassidy pulled his head back, "Huh?" "My body wash." She specified, her eyes still closed as she yawned. Cassidy cleared his throat, her body wash he'd used was citrus, and she sure as unholy Hell didn't smell like a grapefruit to him.

He swallowed hard and held his breath, trying to think of anything other than the way she smelled, "Well, wasn't much choice." He countered. "Hm," She laughed sleepily through her nose. If only she'd known Cassidy had to use her body wash to rid the stench of the three men he had to kill just to have the self-control to be able to just lay beside her.


	31. Peep Hole

"Where's Tulip?" Lily asked as she was greeted by Jesse at their hotel room. "She's in bed." Jesse said. Lily looked at the door behind them to the bedroom area. "Still!?" Lily asked. Jesse nodded. Lily dipped her head down, "It's almost noon, Jess." Lily walked up to him, pulling his shoulder, "Do you even give a shit, Jesse!?" He stood up, "Of course I do! She got up and had a shower and everythin', and she just ended up goin' back to bed. Leave her alone."

She stuck a hip out, "Cassidy has something to tell you. He's at my place." Lily grabbed out her personal phone, texting Cassidy:

 **Jesse's on his way.**

 **Do NOT leave my place.**

 **Tulip and I will meet you there in a couple hours.**

"What do you mean somethin' to tell me?" Jesse said, "That could mean any-fuckin'-thing."

Lily put her phone down, holding her head high, "He's got an idea to where we can go looking for a lead. Something he saw on the television at the bar last night, about one of the clone angels.."

Jesse's interest peaked, "What did he see, exactly?" Lily shrugged and hummed, "Mmm-mm-m." In an 'I don't know' tone. Without hardly any other words, Jesse left. Lily sighed, how terribly easy it was for him to just run to anything to do with God was disturbing.

Lily walked into the bedroom Tulip was in. Her towel was still on her head as she snored in the bed. She sat at her side, shaking her, "Tulip," Tulip hardly moved, "Hey!" Lily said louder "Get up. Come with me." She insisted, "Come." She said again, more sternly. Tulip dragged herself up to her with a groan. Lily helped peel her out of bed, watching her get dressed and Lily even helped her freshen herself up with some makeup, dotting concealer around her puffy red eyes. Eventually, they walked out of the hotel room to see a black SUV waiting for them, complete with a driver sitting in the front.

Tulip pulled her Lily back, "Where are we goin'?" "Tulip." Lily said, "Get in." Tulip couldn't find it in her to argue. She got in, sitting inside the vehicle, sniffling here and there, but not saying anything. Lily kept quiet, and didn't even have to say anything to the driver.

* * *

About twenty minutes later, they arrived at a small regional airport. Tulip looked around curiously, raising a brow to Lily as the SUV stopped, the driver getting out to open the door by Lily.

"What's goin' on, Lily?" Tulip asked quietly.

Lily turned to Tulip, placing her hand on her lap, "I'm giving you the opportunity to go back to Annville." Tulip scrunched her brow, "What?" She asked, "That place is just a dirt pile now. Off the map, even more than it was before, Lily. Why the Hell would I want to go back there?!" There was a bite to her words, but Lily ignored it.

Lily took off her sunglasses and stared at her, "Tulip," She said, "Just because my brother hasn't been exactly there for you to lean on and grieve properly doesn't mean I'm not here." Tulip lifted her head, looking at Lily, who continued, "I know I'm not Jesse, and that it's him you'd want to be there for you, but he's..." Lily sighed, "You know how he is right now. We're still working on getting him back."

Tulip took a second as a tear dropped from her eye down her cheek, before exhaling, jumping out of the vehicle, and following Lily to a helicopter.

They flew for no more than half an hour before they got to the terrible sight of what used to be the small community of Annville. The pilot landed where she saw fit, giving them the OK after the helicopter was off to get out. When they stepped out, Tulip paced quickly ahead, staring into the flat and unfamiliar land. She took a moment before walking quicker, and Lily was having a hard time keeping up. Finally, Tulip lost control of her breathing and broke down. She fell to her knees and wept. Lily ran to her, kneeling down to her and cradling and consoling her the best she could.

After several minutes, Tulip stopped, and stood up, walking back towards the helicopter. They jumped in, and Lily handed Tulip tissue and water. "You good to go?" Lily asked. Tulip's eyes were red and tears still poured down her cheeks, her lips quivered as she nodded, turning to the window and grabbing Lily's hand.

"We're good." Lily said to the pilot, squeezing Tulips hand.

* * *

"Do you have _any_ other clothes?" Lily asked, eyeing Jesse up and down as he stood in the middle of the living room of her apartment, "You sleep in that get up, too?" She asked, before turning to Tulip, "Tulip, does he sleep in it, too?"

Jesse caught Tulip's smirk and Cassidy didn't refrain from full blown snickering. Jesse huffed as he rolled his eyes and kept his hands hooked onto his hips, unable to hold back a grin of his own. He was relieved to see everyone in such high spirits, "Let's go, already." He insisted as he turned towards the door. Behind Jesse's back, Lily raised her brows and shook her head mockingly, watching Tulip's smirk grow into a full blow grin before she turned towards the kitchen to grab her purse.

Jesse walked up to Lily, "Thanks for whatever it is you girls did. Tulip seems better." Jesse said quietly to Lily as he opened the door, placing his other hand on her shoulder. Cassidy listened from the other side of the room. Lily nodded, grabbing her brothers hand that sat on her shoulder, "Of course." She smiled.

Tulip walked up to them, "Let's go." She said. Jesse nodded and looked back to Lily, "You see anythin' else you think might lead us in the right direction, call us, OK?" Lily raised a brow, her lips straight as she crossed her arms, and Tulip read her annoyance immediately. " _Or_ ," Tulip chimed in, "Call even if you just want to. Or if _you,_ " She poked her in the chest, "Need anythin'." Jesse stood up straighter, clearing his throat, "Ya, or that." He added. Lily lowered her eyes, "Gee, brother, thanks." She said sarcastically.

Jesse sighed, "Sorry Lily, it's just-" " _God?_ " She interrupted **"** Ya, ya. I know." Jesse smiled, "I'll see you in a few days." Jesse smiled as he walked out, Tulip looked back at Cassidy, "Let's go." Cassidy walked towards the bathroom, "I'll jus' be a sec."

Tulip looked to Lily, who pressed her lips together. "Lily," Tulip said, "Thanks again for yesterday. It really helped. I mean it." She said. Lily nodded, "You're my family, Tulip." Tulip quickly grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze before letting it go, "If Cassidy isn't down in a couple minute's I'll come back up." Lily nodded, "Thanks," Before closing the door, "Bye." They said in unison right before it shut.

Lily walked a few steps into the kitchen. She knew Cassidy wasn't about to waltz out the front door when he came out of the washroom. With a flush of the toilet followed by the sound of water streaming out of the tap, out came Cassidy. His face was long and he looked disappointed. She breathed in sharply, nonchalantly stepping towards him, "I'll be fine." She said.

Her calm manner vanished as he grabbed her hands, looking into her eyes as if he was staring straight into her soul. She straightened up, not sure what to expect come out of his mouth. "I'm givin' ye three days." He said lowly, "Before I come back 'ere n'get ye myself."

She blinked, "Cassidy.." He pulled her hands so her arms were around him, closing the space between, "Fine." She said quietly with her neck cranked up to him, "I have something for you." She said, pulling away from his embrace. She turned to her kitchen table and grabbed small box about the size of the brick, handing it to him with a smile.

He arched a brow, opening the box to reveal a brand new phone, looking up to her, "Wot's the matter wit mine?" He asked mockingly with a large smile.

She snickered, "Please, just be careful with it." She pushed a phone case into his chest. "You're suppose to be able to run over a phone with an army tank when one of those is on it." She said. Cassidy looked back up to her, "That a challenge, then?" Lily held her hands out, "Cassidy, don't-" He grabbed her with an arm and hugged her into him, "I'm jus' takin' a piss. I won't put it in any harms way." He assured before he finally let go of her.

* * *

It had been almost three days, Lily had done a great job at acting natural at work, slowly getting rid of any trace of her within her reach. It had been much longer than she thought she needed, but getting rid of any trace of her proved to be a larger task than just a short afternoon affair.

Lorenzo hadn't even shown his face around, which meant he must've been out of town, since he never was shy to shove his nose into her business. Ezra even did a good job restraining from attaching himself to her and kept his natural distance. He couldn't help but interact with her one last time, as he assured Lily the deal for new identities was almost done. "Any preference for a name?" He had asked. "No," Lily said, "Come up with something good for me."

"What about _him_?" He said as if Cassidy was cancer that was killing her. Lily sighed staring at the papers in front of her, "Whatever. Pick one for him too."

"Hugh Jass?" Ezra said. Lily smirked, "Make it Dickhead Thundercunt for all I care."

"How about just keep it simple," Ezra whispered, "Bonnie and Clyde? Romeo and Juliet?.." Lily lifted her eyes to in front of her and raised her brows, "You're making this sound like I'm running off to turn a new leaf and elope to live a perfect, carefree life."

Ezra scoffed, "For all I know, you _are_. And I hope you _are_." He said. Her lips were straight and he stared back down, swallowing. It was clear that wasn't the intention, and it made Ezra's heart sink for her.

"Anyways, I'll let you know when it's all good to go." He said. She looked up, "Thanks."

* * *

That night Lily made it back to her apartment, immediately pouring herself a large glass of red wine. The past three work days, she'd focused on slyly getting rid of any trace of herself. She'd left her personal phone at home, the past three days she'd returned at the end of each day, it was flooded by texts from Cassidy. A couple from Tulip and no word from Jesse.

She guzzled her wine and grabbed her phone, looking at Cassidy's conversation.

[36 unread messages]

The first day she'd gotten home and saw that, she assumed they'd all died. 36 unread messages would alarm anyone. But this was the third day, and Lily knew better, she wasn't at all phased. It would take 100 unread messages to make her concerned. She opened Cassidy's conversation before quickly backing out to read Tulip's first, which was sent that morning.

 **Morning Lil. Almost done here. We'll probably head your way by the end of the day. Jesse's thinkin New Orleans.. wanna do Miami instead?**

 **Talk soon.**

Lily smiled. She sent back:

 **What's Jesse got with New Orleans? And why are you thinking Miami? Leads?**

She opened Cassidy's conversation again and scrolled to the top of the eye sore. Since Cassidy discovered emojis just a few days ago on his new phone, there was one after nearly every word.

 **we found fiore**

 **one of them angel clone duckers**

 ***fuckers**

 **turns out**

 **he hired this saint of killers from hell**

 **ya**

 **HELL!**

 **things are pretty ducked up but whats new right**

 **ever seen an angel overdose on heroin?**

 **(asking for a friend)**

 **shite this phone is crazy look at this picture u can see our bloody pores if u zoom enough**

Attached was a picture Cassidy had took of the three of them, his arm held out and Tulip squished between Cassidy and Jesse. Cassidy's grin was wide and Tulip was clearly in mid laugh. Even Jesse was smiling.

 **we r out of here soon I think**

 **remind me to tell u something about Jess n Tulip**

 **nearly got married ...**

 **prolly be at u before the end of the day**

 **New Orleans.. ever been?**

Lily typed back to Cassidy with her head practically spinning, there were so many questions. Why did he have anything to do with giving Fiore heroin? Saint of Killers...? _Who_ nearly got married? Cassidy? Or Tulip and Jesse? From Hell itself? Did they need help getting rid of this angel?...

Instead she just typed back:

 **You're too much for me.**

Another text from Tulip came at the same time. She read it.

 **Jesse's thinking New Orleans cause that's where Jazz is and he believes God loves it or some shit.**

 **I'm thinking Miami because hot beachy breeze and cold boozey drinks.**

Lily laughed, staring at the text, when suddenly she jumped as there was a knock at her door. Concierge would never let anyone up to her level without permission. She carefully placed her glass of wine down as she walked up to the door and peaked through the peep hole.

To her surprise, on the other side, she saw Ezra.

"Ezra?" Lily said out loud, getting ready to open the door. But when he lifted his head, she noticed his face in complete distraught, "Lily." He choked out, "Don't-" Before he could say another word, someone from out of sight had grabbed him and raised a knife before they stabbed him repetitively all while Lily watched helplessly from the other side of the peep hole.


	32. Strong Suit

Downstairs of Lily's apartment building, Tulip drove up to the front entrance. Jesse got out of the passenger side and Cassidy got out of the back seat. Watching Jesse stretch out in front of her, Tulip leaned against her car as she lit a cigarette, "What are the chances my sister's gonna agree to leaving all of this?" Jesse asked doubtfully. "Hmph!" Tulip laughed with her lips around her smoke.

Jesse took it upon himself to walk up to the concierge, he instantly felt a jolt of suspicion when he noticed instead of the usual older man standing at the concierge desk, it was a middle aged, larger built man. He was obviously not an employee of the building, as his attire was completely different than the others, he avoided eye contact completely _and_ he didn't offer to take Tulip's vehicle for valet.

"Can we get someone to park-" Jesse started, but he was interrupted by the man, "Not taking visitors at the moment." The man said shortly.

"Who's not takin' visitors?" Jesse asked in confusion, he hadn't even told the man who they were visiting. The mans lack of service was off putting, but Jesse resisted his urge to knock him out just yet.

"No one." The man said flatly, still not looking at Jesse head on, "Routine maintenance."

Jesse arched his brow and turned to Tulip and Cassidy who stood at the car, passing them a warning glance. The three of them exchanged hard stares and understood that each of them recognized something was, very blatantly, off. Turning back to the fill-in concierge Jesse prodded some more, "Well. When will this _'routine maintenance'_ be done?" Suddenly, Tulip's phone vibrated, it was Lily.

"Lily?" Tulip answered, Cassidy walking close to her side to listen in.

"Tulip?" Lily croaked quietly, "Where- Where ar-" Lily stuttered, trying to catch her breath.

When she heard her tone of voice, Tulip dropped her cigarette and felt her body tingle hot with adrenaline. Cassidy leaned closer to listen and stared up at Jesse talking to the concierge, "Are you in your place?" Tulip whispered, her eyes wandered while her mind raced. "Yes-" Lily said with her voice wavering.

"Sh. Don't move. We're comin'." Tulip said, hanging up the phone as Cassidy was already pacing towards Jesse. "Padre," Cassidy growled lowly in Jesse's ear, "We gotta get up there now. Lily's in some kind'o trouble." Jesse's eyes looked from Cassidy's to inside the building, and he was immediately tense.

Jesse turned back to the man, slamming a hand onto the counter between them, " **Get us up there. Now!** " He demanded, using Genesis regardless of the fact Fiore had just told them the day before how the Saint of Killers was using the word to track them. They didn't have time to be strategic, they just had to get to Lily.

The three of them were escorted in by the man, their entrance into the main lobby where stood a handful of more men, all in the same attire as the one that was escorting them. The men looked towards their colleague guiding Tulip, Cassidy and Jesse in awe, " _Don_!" One of them yelled at him, "What the _Hell_ are you doing?" One of the men asked, stepping out into their path in complete shock.

"I don't know!" This Don guy said in disbelief as he kept marching in front of Tulip, Jesse and Cassidy.

" **Shut up**." Jesse told Don, who closed his mouth in an instant. The rest of the men grabbed their guns from their jackets. " **Stand down. Leave us alone.** " Jesse said to the rest of them, as they simultaneously lowered their weapons. Some trotted out of the front doors of the building, others just walked face first into the closest wall.

Don silently walked into the elevator, with wide saucer eyes as he swiped a key card to get access to the top level. It felt like the elevator was going in slow motion, the three of them felt each others anxiousness. "I wonder if there's more of 'em." Tulip said, staring up to the ceiling of the elevator.

" **Are there more of you**?" Jesse asked. Each time he used Genesis it was like nails on chalkboard. It made Tulip's hair on her skin raise and twisted her stomach. Don hummed, unable to open his mouth. " **Talk to me** _ **dammit**_ **! Are there gonna be more of you up there?** "

"About a dozen or so." Don whimpered. The three of them looked at each other for only a moment.

When the elevator doors opened, the men saw Don standing there by himself, a few of them were huddled around a couple men who were on the ground. They noticed his look of distress and turned to approach Don in the elevator cautiously, with guns drawn.

One of them poked their gun into the elevator, only to have his arm broken by Jesse who, from tucked into the corner with Tulip, grabbed the man's arm with both hands and threw a knee up to the elbow with a loud _**SNAP**_. Jesse pulled the man into the elevator as he cried in agony, and Cassidy used that as a queue to run out into the storm from the corner of the elevator he was tucked into across Tulip and Jesse.

Cassidy yelled as he ran into the first man he saw, tackling him into a few others behind him before throwing him to the ground and ripping apart his neck. Half of the others were frozen in shock while the other half shot rapidly as Cassidy dragged the body towards them. Cassidy groaned as each bullet hit him, but it wasn't enough to slow him down. He kept at what he did best, which was making a huge, blood spattered spectacle.

Tulip and Jesse used Don as a human shield as they ran outward, Tulip with her pistol in hand, and Jesse gripping onto Don as he threw him at one of the men before beating the ever living shit out of them. Tulip, with usual perfect aim, hit 4 consecutive head shots as Cassidy continued being a tornado of a distraction.

Eventually, there were none left. The blood pool in front of Lily's door made each of their hearts drop to their stomachs. Cassidy was covered with blood from his face, down his neck and all over his hands and shirt, only a small portion of it was his own, coming from the holes in him from the bullets he'd taken. He dropped down to the floor, practically pressing his face to the blood pool in front of Lily's door, "It's not 'ers." He said confidently.

Jesse passed Cassidy a quick glance of disturbance, wondering how he could possibly know so easily the difference between that blood and his sisters. He quickly suppressed his curiosity as he he threw a powerful kick to her door. It cracked, he groaned as he kept kicking, Cassidy went at with him only a couple of times before it broke off it's hinges completely. They burst in, Tulip with her gun drawn, Jesse and Cassidy were ready for anything.

But there was nothing.

The only thing was an obvious trail of blood from the outside of her doorway to the living room, right before the patio door, when it stopped. "Lily!" Jesse yelled as he ran out to the patio, noticing no blood on the patio flooring. "Lil!" Tulip screamed with a voice crack. The three of them split up and looked all over.

"Lily!" Cassidy yelled. They listened to each other yelling, checking for any sign of her, but there was nothing. Jesse grabbed his head, "Fuck!" He screamed, kicking at her coffee table as it flipped over, "They took her! _Fuckers_ took her! Christ!" He ranted, "She's hurt!" He threw his hands down at the blood.

"It's not 'ers!" Cassidy said, "It's a trail," He pointed to the busted down from door, "Same as whos'ever's outside the door." Jesse shot a glare up to Cassidy, "How would _you_ know what her blood-"

"Guys!" Tulip yelled, "We need to find them!" She urged them to stop arguing.

"Y'think they took 'er?" Cassidy said quickly, "Where would they'd take her? Let's find another one of those bastards n'ye can use Genesis t'ask where they got her." He said in a panic, he ran to the doorway, "Let's go!"

Jesse stood with his hands on his hips and stared blankly at the floor. Tulip swallowed, her eyes welling up as she worried what was happening to Lily at this moment. "Let's go!" Cassidy yelled angrily at them. Tulip inhaled, walking briskly towards Jesse and grabbing him, turning him around to see the lost look in his eyes. She grabbed his face, talking softly, "Your sister is in trouble. We need to get to her."

Jesse nodded, grabbing her wrists by his face. Suddenly, Tulip's phone started vibrating in her jacket pocket, turning their attention. "Wot!?" Cassidy asked anxiously from the door. Tulip grabbed her phone, the call display said Lily, but she had a feeling it wouldn't be her voice she would hear on the other side. She answered it and held it up to her ear with a flat face.

"What did you do with her?" Tulip said in a low tone.

"What!?" It _was_ Lily's soft, quiet voice on the other side, "Where are you guys!?" She asked urgently.

"Lily?" Tulip asked. Cassidy and Jesse looked and leaned in with complete attention as they looked at Tulip's face to read what was going on. "Yes! Jesus, Tulip! How far away are you!?" She asked.

"We're at your place. Just killed a buncha people outside your front door before we busted it down. Where are you!?"

"You did?" Lily laughed breathlessly in relief, "You're here?"

"Here?" Tulip said, both of their urgency causing more confusion, "Wait. What? You're _here_!?" Tulip spun in a circle as her eyes scanned all around, "Where the Hell are-"

And at that moment, the floor to ceiling bookshelf in Lily's living room opened up, right where the blood trail ended, the three of them walked up to it. "Jesus. I didn't even think that could be a door." Tulip said breathlessly. "Discreteness has always been a strong suit of hers." Jesse stated as they all looked down to what the bookcase revealed: a metallic stair case leading down, which Lily stepped out at the bottom of. She was very flushed and her eyes were red with clear disturbance as the light from where they stood hit her. She inhaled, "Quick!" She yelped before running back to wherever she came from.

As Cassidy, Tulip and Jesse ran after her, behind the bookshelf was a staircase down leading to a room the size of her entire apartment right underneath it. It was an open, metallic room full of shelving, displayed every weapon variety imaginable.

They tore their curious eyes from the large armory collection to where Lily ran to, she fell back to the floor where she had been doing anything she could for Ezra, who Cassidy recognized right away. There was a dissected first aid kit on the ground, all the gauze was completely soaked in blood and Ezra was almost completely white.

"Who's this?" Jesse asked as he leaned down.

"Ezra. A friend." Lily choked out, "They stabbed him outside my door. I fought a couple of them off before I grabbed him and dragged him in and locked us down here." Her voice was very fragile and her hands were very shaky, "They knew we were down there but the only person who could override the door to get down here was Lorenzo so I'd imagine he's almost here." She looked up to the staircase, making sure the door closed behind them.

"He stopped talking back to me a while ago now," She exhaled heavily, her head dropping. Tulip rubbed her shoulder, "We gotta get outta here, Lil. Let's take him with us." Lily shook her head, "We can't move him." She sniffed, holding her breath a moment.

Cassidy looked down at the gruesome scene, the amount of blood he'd lost was far too much. He place a finger on his neck and hardly felt anything to warrant a pulse. Lily turned her head up to Jesse, "Can't you do anything?" She plead. Jesse sighed, his eyes soft, "Lily.." "Can't Genesis do _something_?" "It doesn't work like that.." Jesse said. "Can you at least _try_?!" She said lowly, her voice wavering.

Tulip pulled her in, hugging at her as Lily's body gently shook in her embrace. Tulip looked up at Jesse and Cassidy stayed leaning down on the other side of Ezra. Lily stiffed and lifted her head to Cassidy, and her eyes were pure desperation, tearing a hole through him just by looking at her. "Cass-" Was all she said, but it was more than enough for him to know what she wanted.

Cassidy lifted his head and dropped his eyes, and Lily practically leaped into his arms, jumping over Ezra between them. Tulip and Jesse stared in confusion as she begged at him, "Please! He doesn't deserve to die!" She said to him. Tulip had a bit of an idea where this was getting at due to her being put in the middle of the scenario back in Annville, but Jesse was clueless.

"Wot d'ya want me t'do?" Cassidy asked. "Anything!" Lily said immediately, "Just anything, _please_!" She clung onto him. Cassidy held his breath as he couldn't bare looking at Lily any longer, he leaned down to the scattered pieces of the first aid kit, grabbed a pair of scissors and a syringe. He winced and pressed the tip of the scissor into his hand and made a decent sized hole, grunting as blood began pouring out, he placed the small syringe to the hole and filled it.

Lily watched Cassidy intently, while Tulip and Jesse had equal parts of disgust and curiosity across their faces. Cassidy dipped down to Ezra, Lily at his side, watching as Cassidy dropped first four drops into his mouth. When nothing happened he tried another four, then another. Finally, Ezra opened his eyes and gasped, Lily couldn't help but laugh in relief as a couple tears streamed down her face, she grabbed the sides of Ezra's face, "Ezra!" She said, "You're going to be alright."

Jesse looked up to Cassidy, "Did you just... turn him?" He asked in a weird state of awe. Cassidy shook his head with a bothersome expression putting the syringe of the remainder of his blood down onto the floor. Lily kept talking to Ezra, her energy far too upbeat for the moment. Jesse looked at Tulip, who looked to him with her wide eyes and raised her eyebrows.

"Hey." Cassidy said softly pulling at Lily, "Jus' back up a bit-" He lifted her up to her feet and she turned to him, "Thank you, Cass." She whispered, throwing her arms around him and squeezing him tight, "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you." Jesse and Tulip looked up at Cassidy's flat face, his eyes dragging from the two of them back down to Ezra before Lily pulled back out of the hug. She looked down at Cassidy's torso, noting the bullet holes. "Are you alright?" She asked with a sniff, turning to examine Jesse and Tulip as well. Cassidy nodded, "I'll be fine." His eyes wandered back down to Ezra.

"We're fine." Tulip assured, looking back down to Ezra, "Now let's grab him and go-"

Suddenly Ezra screamed in agony, and what Cassidy had feared was now happening as Ezra began wincing before his body moved in full blown convulsions. Cassidy pulled Lily tight into him arms and pulled them further away from where Ezra laid. Jesse and Tulip shot up on their feet and stared in horror as foam poured out of Ezra's mouth. His convulsions were getting worse and his screams were drowned out by the gurgling of the red foam spewing out of his mouth. They staggered back slowly.

Lily clawed to get out of Cassidy's grasp, wanting to run to his side, begging Cassidy to let her go, "Let go of me!" She screamed at the top of her lungs "Cassidy! You let go of me right now!" Her screaming fighting against the sound of Ezras. Jesse leaned down to Ezra, his eyes rolling back into his head and nearly popping out of his skull. His veins were bursting all around his skull, and many of his bones were broken from slamming against the floor during the intense convulsing. There was an ear piercing ring before Jesse used Genesis, " **Pass in peace**." He said.

Suddenly, the room was quiet, and Ezra had gone completely relaxed. His corpse looked like a mutilated science experiment. Lily felt like she was going to pass out as her ears rang and all she could do was freeze, Cassidy glared towards Jesse before he grabbed Lily's face and turned it to him, his eyes as soft as ever, "It's not safe 'ere." He said, "We need t'go."

She nodded, unable to form a word, completely numb and unable to think straight. She pushed past him and wiped her face, looking to Jesse and Tulip, "Take anything from here. I have to get some of my things." She walked upstairs, ignoring the busted open front door, going into her room and calmly, as if she was a robot, packed a bag and got dressed into a pristine black knee length pencil dress. Her sleeves were lace and there was even some silver embroidery around the shoulders.

Cassidy followed her around trying to help and ask her what she was doing, for her to go from full blown panic to complete silence was unsettling. He tried to get through to her, but in her head it was as if her ears were never going to stop ringing.

"Lily!" Cassidy said, shaking her shoulders, "Are y'hearin' anythin' I'm sayin'?!" He asked.

She shook her head, "No," She said calmly, her puffy red eyes glistening as she began dragging her luggage to the busted down door before stepping into a pair of black heels that look like they'd never seen the light of day. Both pointed toes were silver plated. Cassidy arched a brow and continued to follow her around.

Then, she walked back down to the armory, where Tulip and Jesse had grabbed several things. "Ya need us to grab anythin' for you?" Jesse asked, as Cassidy tromped down the stairs. "No," She said, Jesse and Tulip eyeing her up and down. Her image was pristine, she'd even done her hair up in a slick pony tail.

"What are you doin' down here, then?" Jesse asked in confusion. The pile of Ezra's remains laid in the same place and it smelt worse than death. The three of them watched her as she walked up to the mess, her new shoes stepping into the mixture of fluids that surrounded his remains. She stared down at the for a moment.

"She lost her marbles?" Tulip asked quietly as she shoved another large gun into a bag around her shoulder.

"Alright," Cassidy said to Lily in an understanding tone as he walked towards her, waving his hand inwards to him,"Stop starin' at it love, it's not gonna make y'feel any-"

And at that moment, the three of them realized she hadn't been staring at the sickening spectacle of body fluids and mush, because when she bent down, she grabbed what she really had her eyes on - the syringe that held the remains of Cassidy's blood.

She lifted it above her mouth as the three of them watched with the same helpless, gut wrenching feeling as they stiffened. Lily shot the blood into her mouth, at the same time Cassidy lunged towards her and tackled her to the ground. A bit of the blood came out of her mouth as she hit the ground with a grunt. She choked a bit on the blood on her mouth and struggled to swallow it down as she was winded. Cassidy's hand gripped onto her wrist that had the syringe in hand, and he squeezed as she let go of the syringe. The sound of it as it hit the ground indicated it was definitely empty.

Tulip and Jesse ran up to them, not sure what to do or how to react, even if they could. It was moving too fast. It seemed like Cassidy was on top of it. Literally. Cassidy had gotten on top of her and placed his hands around her neck. " _Lily_!" Cassidy hissed, his eyes were wide and insane, and as they stared into hers it was like he wouldn't refrain from snapping her neck in an instant, "Spit it out." He growled with his grip around her neck tightening even more. She couldn't breathe, "Right now." He demanded.

Lily's face was going light red and she closed her eyes. "Cass-" Tulip said, "You're gonna kill her!" Her voice cracked. Cassidy shook his head and didn't loosen his grip. Tulip turned to Jesse, her face frantic, "Use Genesis on her! Get her to spit it out, Jesse!" Jesse shook his head, "It doesn't work on her!" Tulip's brow furrowed as she blinked, "What?" She asked. "It doesn't work on her!" Jesse yelled back in frustration. He obviously didn't like the idea of Cassidy putting his hands on Lily so aggressively, but he also didn't like the idea of Lily ending up like Ezra. It was hard to say which was a worse sight. Tulip's brow furrowed as she looked towards Cassidy, "Use it on _him_!" She yelled at Jesse, "Tell him to stop!"

Cassidy knew she didn't have much longer before she'd have to spit it out to breathe, but he also knew he didn't have much longer until Jesse's patience of watching his little sister being choked ran out. He took it a step further and moved one hand from her throat to her face to cover her nose, forcing her to eventually have to open her mouth and spit it out to breathe again. She couldn't swallow against his grip, she couldn't breathe against his hand to her face and she was running out of air.

But Jesse couldn't bear to handle it any longer. **"Get off of her."** Cassidy's face dropped as he unwillingly let go of her and jumped away. "No!" Cassidy screamed, staring at her in helpless terror, "No, no, no!" Lily gulped the blood in her mouth and opened her eyes, gasping for air as she stared at the ceiling, feeling the most insane rush yet take over.


	33. To The Ground

Lily closed her eyes and breathed in, wiping her arm across her face as she wiped off any that got onto her face, licking her arm for anything that had escaped her mouth as Cassidy had tackled her.

They were all speechless, watching her in awe as she sat up and met her eyes to Cassidy's, who stared back at her flatly. A crazy instinct was taking over; it was as if her premonition was back - but ten times stronger than it ever had been.

Cassidy kneeled down to her, grabbing her shoulder and narrowed his brow, "D'ya have a death wish?" He growled, "Wot the Hell is wrong wit ye?" Lily stood up and turned her back to him as she grabbed a large bag. She began throwing guns into it, not having to think about what she was grabbing - it was as if she'd already planned it all out, Cassidy stayed hot on her trail following her around, "Didn't ya see wot jus' happened t'yer friend there?" He threw his arm out to the gore pile that was once Ezra, "I can't believe you."

"Is that gonna happen to her!?" Jesse yelled to Cassidy. Lily had turned to the both of them, looking at Jesse, "No, I'm not going to end up like Ezra." She said with pure certainty. Even her voice was a foreign sound to them. Lily began heading upstairs again. Cassidy was running after her when Jesse got in his way, "How long will she be… like this?" Cassidy looked up the stairs as he shook his head to Jesse, "I dunno." He said, not too concerned about anything more than being at Lily's side, until Jesse grabbed his chest and slammed him against the shelving at his side, guns and grenades falling onto the floor. Jesse slammed him, "What do ya mean ya don't know!" "Christ!" Tulip said from beside Jesse to intervene, "Stop arguin', already!" Cassidy grabbed Jesse's arms that clung onto him and gripped so tight, he nearly broke Jesse's arms. Jesse groaned, releasing without choice, "Let go of me!" Cassidy yelled.

As Lily grabbed her luggage, the three of them were already running after her. "Where are y'goin'!" Cassidy yelled. Tulip held a bag around her shoulders and so did Jesse, each of them full to the brim with various weapons.

" _Lillian_!" Jesse bellowed, "What the Hell is goin' on here!?"

Lily spun around, the weapon bag around one arm and her other side holding her luggage, there was a look in her eye and a tone in her voice that would curdle anyone's blood. "I'm burning Beneke to the ground!" Lily screamed in red rage, "Are you joining me, or not!?"

* * *

The elevator down, Cassidy, Tulip and Jesse tried talking sense into Lily, urging her that a rampage wasn't entirely necessary, but she wasn't hearing any of it.

"You're either with me, or you're not." She went through the guns in her bags, loading what she could. Her jaw was clenched, "They used Ezra as bait to get to me, but it didn't work," She shook her head, "They didn't get me." Her tone of voice was nothing like any of them have ever heard out of her before. Cassidy stared at Lily helplessly, unable to believe she was still functioning, with her tolerance to his blood already so sensitive, she should be dead with the amount she'd just consumed, and Cassidy worried it was only a matter of time before she started convulsing as Ezra did. Jesse and Tulip couldn't argue against her dead set decision if they wanted to. She was already stubborn, combined that with the most raw rage she'd ever felt, and it was useless trying to persuade her otherwise of what was already decided in her mind.

She slipped her sunglasses on and the elevator door opened. Lily dragged her bags to her SUV, throwing them in it as she sped off within the same second it seemed. The three of them rushed behind her, following her closely in Tulip's car. When they got to the large building that was Beneke Corporated, they followed her into the front doors. As Jesse, Tulip and Cassidy trailed behind her, she was on a path that was clearly thought through.

Anyone they encountered wouldn't stand a chance. In the past, they worked best as a team, but this instance was so much different. Lily hardly put any effort to react to anyone that stood in her way, with the influence of Cassidy's blood she was essentially as invincible as he was, but with her premonition coming back in such an intense way, it was as if she'd seen everything seconds before it actually happened. She was able to plan out each detail to the millisecond. Before anyone would even turn a corner, she would have already shot a bullet to where they were going to be. Jesse and Tulip exchanged the same look.

There was no talking between them the entire time, but there didn't need to be. Tulip, Jesse and Cassidy watched in pure awe at the stranger that trail blazed in front of them. She had the large gun in her hands, spraying bullets without any hesitation, before walking into a lab, Ezras work area. She moved around the room only for a few moments, taking a few things and throwing them into a bag Tulip held at her side. Lily span the gun around and from the other side was a flamethrower, a unique modification on the gun, courtesy of Ezra himself. Torching every trace of his work with something that _was_ his own work felt morbidly poetic. There was no way Lily was leaving all of his life's efforts and creative brilliance to the people responsible for his death.

She'd grabbed a bag from his area with 6 brick shaped devices and stuck two of them on the walls of opposite sides of the floor they were on.

Finally, she ran back to the stairs, going up further. She'd saved the best for last. When she got to the top, there was no one in the large conference room, she kicked down each office door, looking for any of the head honchos, but there were none in sight. On their way back to the stairs she stopped, turning towards a wall. Her sunglasses Ezra had designed had a thermal detection feature, allowing her to see someone on the other side of the wall. She shot the drywall until it was fragile enough to kick through, walking into the room to see an older, heavy set man crouched behind a desk.

Lily took hold of the man by the neck, "Who else is here?" She demanded. The man was stone cold; he wouldn't talk no matter the circumstance. Lily looked up at Jesse, "Jesse." His eyes flickered from the man up to Lily, his stare was hard, but he didn't hesitate to Lily's clear request, " **Who else is here**?" Genesis would never fail to make Tulip psychically uncomfortable.

"No one." The man admitted, "The rest of them are out of town tending to a much more important matter." He groveled. "But me? _Nooo_ , I was left behind. I'm missing out on a huge opportunity, because I was left in charge of _you_." He spat with a face pure red with anger.

"Remind me." Lily sang as she leaned closer to him, "Who's in charge of who here?" She rammed her knee into his face, taking a handful of papers on the desk at their side and shoving them down his throat just to keep him quiet. He kicked and gagged and she didn't ease up. She began dragging him, first out of the room, before she marched on one side of the top floor and placed another one of the brick sized devices on the wall, then another by the stairs that Cassidy, Tulip and Lily stood by, the man on the ground beside them. She then pulled the man down the many flights of stairs, where half way down she placed another device on the wall, and eventually she placed the last one on the ground floor. She pulled the man out the front doors of the building to her SUV. Tulip, Jesse and Cassidy had no idea how she was psychically able to pull a man that weight.

Stepping outside was the only painful thing Lily had to endure in this entire scenario. The sun was strong and the amount of blood she drank made it impossible to see even with sunglasses, but luckily she could see with more than her eyes. She had in her head everything that was already happening.

Jesse and Cassidy had helped her heave him into the back as Lily tied him up real tight.

She slammed her trunk, quickly marching towards her driver's side, not giving anyone a chance to hop into her vehicle with her as she sped off again like a true maniac. The three of them jumped into Tulip's car again, racing after her. "What should we do?" Tulip asked as she kept her foot dead heavy on the gas pedal. "Let it ride out." Jesse said, "Any time she gets in a bad mood, it's always best to let her have her space and let her do her thing." He sighed, "I can't say it's been anythin' like _this_ before but we're just gonna have to hope it works the same way..." He trailed off and breathed in, "Her premonition is on a whole new level." Jesse said, "What did your blood do to her Cassidy!?"

"I dunno, I said already!" Cassidy yelled back.

"Is she gonna be this fucked up for good?" Jesse asked Cassidy.

"Jaysis, Jess!" Cassidy swore back, " I. Don't. Know! I know as much as you do right now."

"Hmph!" Jesse said. "Wot?!" Cassidy called him out with a sour face. "Seems like ya know a lot more than me." Jesse claimed, "I mean, apparently ya know the smell of my sisters blood-" "Ughhh!" Cassidy groaned, "I know wot all yer insides smell like." He lied, "It's a.. vampire thing." "Bullshit! No it's not!" Jesse scrunched his face. "Oh, please!" Tulip yelled, "Would ya two just..."

Suddenly, the three of them arguing was interrupted as they felt the whole car shake while the ground beneath them trembled. They turned to look out the back window to see what was happening, to see the entire Beneke Corporation behind them collapse. The firey explosions from the devices Lily had placed throughout the building sent a huge, black smoke ring into the sky.

"Let it ride." Tulip said, turning forward again to stare at Lily speeding ahead of them, "Right."

* * *

The next 30 minutes of driving out in the middle of dead, dusty nowhere were very quiet. Finally, Lily came to a sudden stop in the middle of the desert. She got out and she grabbed a shovel from the back of her truck, beginning to dig. "What are ya doin'?" Jesse asked, staring down at her with his hands on his hips. Lily didn't answer, eventually, Cassidy walked up to her, an umbrella in hand and multiple layers on, as the sun was beaming down on all of them especially hard it seemed, "Lily," He grabbed the shovel with a hand, "Talk t'us. Wot's goin' on?"

She looked up at him stopping her digging for only a moment, "Cassidy." She said in a warning tone. He closed his eyes and tugged at the shovel, "Jus' lemme do it, then." She let go and walked to her SUV backing it up so the trunk faced the whole Cassidy was digging.

Tulip had grabbed Cassidy's umbrella, holding it above him as he dug deeper and deeper. Jesse sat at Tulips car with a cigarette.

The sun was so bright, it was beyond discomforting to both Cassidy and Lily. She kept her eyes closed as she sat in the on her tail gate, the open trunk shading her pretty well. Each time she opened her eyes it was as if it got brighter and brighter outside. She didn't think about the other side effects of Cassidy's blood that must've been amplified.

Cassidy was done digging the hole in record time, it took him less than ten minutes before the hole was as deep as Cassidy was. "That was quick." Tulip noted. "Not me first time diggin' a grave unfortunately." He said with a clenched voice as he pulled himself out and cackled. He clapped his hands together at Lily, lifting his brows above his shades, "Wot now, then, boss?!" He said, humoring her as he grabbed the umbrella from Tulip.

Lily turned behind her in the trunk of her SUV as she dragged the man, still tied up and mouth still full of paper, out onto the sand with a **thud**. As requested by Lily, she wanted the man in the hole feet first. Cassidy pushed the man's shoulders with his boot, and when his feet hit the bottom of the hole, the hole only went up just past the man's shoulders, leaving his head entirely above the ground.

"Oh.." Cassidy groaned as his brows dropped, grabbing the shovel again, "Not quite deep en-" "It's perfect." Lily said grabbing Cassidy's arm to stop him as she continued staring at the man standing in the hole. His face was pure hatred and his face was a color red Lily had never seen before. It was almost purple, as if his head was about to explode, and she loved it.

She took the shovel and began pushing the dirt and sand back into it, the man was grunting and groaning. The papers Lily had shoved in his mouth were now a giant soppy mess. A couple times he would try and cough it up, Lily would grab a handful of sand and throw it in his mouth, using her heel to press against his neck to make him open up. The soppy mess poured out of his mouth and tears streamed down his purple face. Eventually, only his head was exposed.

Lily stood back, sitting back on her SUV, as the trunk was still open. She crossed her arms and looked down on him.

"Now what?" Jesse asked.

Lily flashed her eyes towards Jesse. It was like he was looking at a stranger. She lifted her head, "Because of him, I had to watch Ezra die. Now, I'm gonna watch him die."


	34. Full Swing

It had been a good hour. Tulip, Jesse and Cassidy were all beyond the moment and just wanted to get the Hell out of there. Lily was determined to watch this man until he took his last breath. "Can't we just leave him?" Jesse asked, "Quit being so dramatic." The each of them had tried talking to her many times but she didn't take her eyes off the man withering away in front of her.

Suddenly, Lily's attention was finally changed as she stood up. Behind her sunglasses she ripped off, her eyes were wide. "What!?" Jesse yelled in urgency, seeing her state of alarm. She turned to the three of them and yelled, "GET DOWN!" The four of them all practically fell over, and suddenly, an deafening sound caused them all to cover their ears. Cassidy, Tulip and Jesse were familiar with the experience, Lily, however, was not.

"Lillian! Get back down!" Jesse yelled at her as she staggered back up with a gun in hand. Jesse pulled her behind her vehicle as another wave of bullets came, as if a canon ball was being shot directly at them.

Lily continued covered her ears, "That's _him_?" She screamed at Jesse. "Aye! That'd be the lunatic cowboy we told ya all about." Cassidy yelled back, peaking under her vehicle to see where he was coming from, "Quite the arsehole, isn't he?" Their bodies rumbled from the intense sound wave of the bullets coming their way.

"How'd he find us!? We're in the middle of nowhere!" Lily yelled. "He's trackin' the word!" Jesse yelled back, "Today, I made it really easy for him." "Yea," Tulip yelled back, "Definitely no shortage of _that_." She rolled her eyes. They all turned their head to where the next round of bullets hit, right where the man stood buried. In the blink of an eye, his head blew completely off, leaving nothing but a stump that squirted out blood like a fountain. They all stared in equal amounts of shock.

Jesse made a break as he began to run to Tulip's car in front of them, "Hurry!" He yelled back at them, taking Tulip's arm. Lily opened her vehicle door and as she felt her fingertips graze her bag handle, she felt Cassidy wrapped his arm around her waist, ripping her away from it, "Get o'er 'ere!" He said. "My _shit_!" She screamed in more terror than he'd ever heard come out of her, watching her luggage and weapon bag get further away as Cassidy ran with her in his arms towards Tulip's car.

He laid low behind Tulip's car and opened the door, the umbrella still shielding him from the sun. "Aggh!" Lily screamed in his other arm, "So help me God, _Proinsias Cassidy_ I-" He pushed her down on the ground and slapped his hand against her mouth, her head hitting the side of the car behind her as his eyes began scouring to see if Tulip or Jesse had heard Lily just drop his first name like it was nothing. Luckily for him, they were more concerned about remaining covered and making their way to the front of Tulip's car as they were being hunted by a ruthless demon cowboy from Hell.

Cassidy huffed, his eyes dropping to her in an unimpressed manner, "Do ye _mind_?!" He said as he ripped his hand off of her and looked back at how far away her SUV was, watching it get rocked by another graze of the Saint's bullets. He groaned, scrunching his mouth and opening Tulip's back door of her car all the way wide, pushing Lily in as he heard Tulip start her car with a rev. "Cass! What the Hell-" He heard Tulip scream at him before he lunged back towards Lily's truck, ducking and weaving the best he could as several bullets streamed pass him, the SUV was practically ripped to shreds. He couldn't grab the bags and hold the umbrella the same time, so he tossed it, then yanked the bags out and ran low as quick as he could back towards the car, Tulip had already started moving. She did a quick rev and made a big circle as she drifted back towards Cassidy for him to jump in.

Lily was laying on the floor of the back seat, holding the door wide open for him as he threw her bags at the empty seats above her, Tulip floored the gas as Cassidy hung halfway out of the back of the car, the tires spitting up dusty sand. They all stayed hunched down, Tulip's car was being rocked by some of the bullets either landing beside the car or grazing it. Lily watched Cassidy lift his legs in then let go of the door, covering her head with her arms as Tulip jolted her car to the side to close Cassidy's door, now that he was in.

Lily looked up to Cassidy as he groaned. His hands sizzled, along with the side of his face, the areas that got hit thanks to no umbrella in his heroic effort to get Lily's bags. She looked down at her bags at her legs, sitting up and hugging him thankfully before the next bullet grazed by and she hit the floor again, the smell of his burnt flesh stuck in her nose.

* * *

They'd gotten a decent lead away from the Saint, and they were all much more lax. They'd been driving for a good half hour with little to no words said between them. Each of them looked completely haggard and beyond exhausted. At the wheel was, of course, Tulip, staring at the road signs at the fork in the road that separated the exit towards Miami and the other towards New Orleans, "So... which route?" She asked hopefully.

"Only way is the I-10. Take the next exit." Jesse said, puffing on a cigarette out the front passenger window. "New Orleans." He said, "That's where our first lead is." Cassidy could practically feel the discomfort come off of Tulip as she reluctantly veered towards the exit.

"I thought we were going to Miami." Lily said, with her eyes shut as she leaned her head on the window. Tulip looked at the rear-view mirror to Lily who sat behind her, "You wanna?" She said sweetly as she peaked her eyes over her sunglasses frames to Lily. "Sure." Lily said back, her eyes still closed.

"We're _not_ going to Miami." Jesse said sharply, "We are goin'. To. New. Orleans." He articulated.

" _You_ can go to New Orleans." Lily mumbled, "We'll drop _you_ off there, and then _we'll_ go to Miami."

Jesse shook his head as he dragged from his cigarette, "You're out of your damn mind if you think I'm lettin you two go off anywhere on your own. Hmph! Let alone Miami." He puffed smoke out of his mouth.

"I'm sure Cass will come." Tulip egged on, "Won't you, Cass?" She said as she turned over her right shoulder to flash him her 'let's-do-it' eyes.

Cassidy looked between Jesse's hard eyes in the rear view mirror and Tulip, who'd turned herself all the way around to stare dead into his eyes. "Don't get me involved wit th'navigation side o'this! I jus wanted t'go on a good ol'fashion road trip! One that we're not gettin' shot at preferably!" He whined, staring at the bullet wound on his arm, open and raw.

"We'll get ya some blood as soon as we get into town, Cass," Tulip assured, "Don't worry."

"Maybe we'll find God in th'hospital, eh?" Cassidy cackled, "How stupid would that be? God. A nurse or a janitor or somethin'... heh."

Jesse exhaled deeply, a long stream of smoke escaping from his mouth as he did, "Let's just get there before we start makin' assumptions."

"Fine." Tulip said, rolling her head from one side to the other, "We'll take a quick peak in New Orleans, and _then_ we'll go to Miami."

"We'll go wherever we get a lead on where God is." Jesse corrected, taking only a moment as he stared forward while he spoke again "Are we gonna talk about any of that?" He asked, dragging from his smoke.

Lily huffed. She didn't need him to look at her to know that he was talking to her. She kept her head leaned against the window and her eyes closed with her arms crossed, "What's there to talk about?" She asked.

Jesse laughed. "First of all..." He took another long drag from his cigarette.

"Your gift." Jesse called it, "It's back in full swing? Since when?" He asked. Lily exhaled, finally lifting her head and opening her eyes to look at the back of Jesse's head, "Guess it was just an episode. It's already worn off." She admitted, which was true. The intense edge lasted a couple hours. She had to admit, coming down from it now; she realized her heart had been working twice as fast that entire time. Lily looked at Jesse with a fiery stare, knowing he could feel it. She noticed in the corner of her eye as Cassidy watched her.

"Cassidy's blood.." Jesse started. Tulip kept her eyes on the road and Cassidy fidgeted uncomfortably, Jesse and Lily talking as if they were alone. "What about it?" Lily asked.

"What made you do that?" He asked. "My _gift_ , of course." She sang mockingly, calling her premonition a gift as Jesse referred to it. Her tone went back to normal and flat, "I saw that I would be much stronger with it." She kept it short and simple. How was she suppose to explain to him that the past couple of weeks she'd been experimenting with the effects of consuming the blood of their vampire friend? Jesse would gut the both of them.

Not to mention that would lead to the fact that she had herself tied up with Cassidy in a lot more ways than she would ever want to admit, let alone have Jesse find out about.

"Hm." Jesse hummed, his eyes flickered to the side mirror to look at Cassidy's face as he sat behind him, and his defensiveness was subsided for the time being. "Ezra obviously meant a lot to you for you to go off like that." Jesse said as he stared at the lighter in his hand. Tulip passed him a glance, noticing the softness in his voice. Lily's hardened stare eased up as Jesse turned to her, "I'm sorry about what happened, but I'm glad we made it back to you in time, and it was really great to see ya so on your toes again like that."

Lily felt her eyes well up at Jesse's softness. He was talking about her murderous rampage as if it was her ballet recital. "Comin' down from it all now-" Jesse said, leaning his head back as she inhaled, "Do ya feel bad about any of it?" He asked, turning his head back to her. She raised her brow, "No." She leaned back against the window as Jesse leaned the opposite direction onto the door beside him, nodding.

Her appetite for the rampage she had was because of _his_ blood. Her premonition didn't tell her to take Cassidy's blood - she lied to Jesse about that, and he knew the real reason was because she knew she'd be stronger with it. She took it herself without knowing the consequences, and now knowing them, she didn't even feel remorse.

* * *

They drove straight through to New Orleans, not taking the risk of having the Saint catch up to them. As they drove into New Orleans, Tulip sighed, "Well, what should've taken us six hours took me three and a half." She said proudly.

"Thank fuck," Lily said, "My bladder is about to burst." She stated with a clenched voice.

"Piss in my car, and you'll be gator feed." Tulip threatened, pulling her sunglasses down her nose. Cassidy cackled and even Jess laughed. Lily groaned and crossed her legs, "I'm _serious_ , Tulip." Tulip flashed her eyes in the rear view at Lily, "I am too!"

When they finally pulled into New Orleans, the sun was set and the streets they were in was blocking out any last of the daylight, anyway. Lily said, looking down the road and spotting the first half-decent establishment, "I'm checking into this hotel."

"Oh, I gotta friend 'ere who'll take us in." Cassidy said with eager eyes, half of his face blistering from the literal sun burn. "I'll give 'im a shout." He grabbed his phone with his blistery hand.

"I'm checking into this hotel." Lily repeated, leaving her luggage in the car and practically stumbling out of Tulip's car and marching towards it. Tulip had her hood up, and Cassidy groaned as the person he calling didn't answer. He passed her a glance, throwing his phone back in his pocket, "Y'know, outta the two of us, how is it yer the one that looks more like a vampire right now?" He chuckled. "Says the one who looks like bubble wrap." Tulip said lowly as she kept her face flat. Jesse following behind them chuckled. Cassidy scrunched his face, "Ya," He lifted his hand to it and winced, "I need t'get me hands on some blood, even jus a little bit will do, like a parrot or somethin'."

"A parrot." Jesse stated unbelievably. "Or a cockatoo, or a crow, Christ, I don't care, any bird." Cassidy ranted, as if it was the type Jesse cared about. "It's not that," Jesse laughed, "Just, outta all things you could have listed.. a parrot?" Tulip scrunched her brows to him. Cassidy shrugged, "I'm not picky."

They stood outside the hotel Lily had gone into to relieve her bladder and check in. Cassidy was on his phone again as Jesse stared around anxiously, "I'm gonna go wander out a bit," He said to Tulip and Cassidy, "Ok," Tulip said.

Jesse looked at her all bundled up and tense, "Wanna come?" He asked, pulling at her arm. She pulled away, "No," She pressed her lips together, "Not feelin' good." She lied. He shook his head, "You're not?" He asked, "What's'a matter?" Tulip sighed, "Headache. I'm nauseous. I, uh, have really bad gas pains..." She trailed off. Jesse arched a brow, "Which is it?" He asked. Tulip raised her brow, "All of it.." She huffed and shook her head, "Look, just… go do your thing, Jesse, I'll be fine."

He looked down at her, suspicious, but too eager to get out to the streets of New Orleans to finally find God. Jesse leaned down and kissed her, "Lemme know if you need anythin' for all of that, OK?" He said. She smiled up at him, before Lily interrupted their moment, "On second thought, _definitely_ not a good idea to check into anywhere." She stated.

When the hotel guest services asked her for a credit card or ID to check in, she felt a jolt of realization that her life had taken a 180. Not only did she run away from Beneke, but she literally burned it to the ground before she did which meant she was more than a high profile case. Her identity was fucked.

"Well, what're'we gonna do?" Tulip asked. Right on cue, Cassidy skipped up to them, his phone in his hand, "Dennis said it's'all good!" He smiled, "Let's go!" "Jesse's goin' out." Tulip said. "Alright." Cassidy said, "Text ye the address." He waved his phone at Jesse.

"Sounds good." Jesse said, watching Cassidy march the opposite direction with his arms around Jesse's two flowers.


	35. Take It Easy

"Dennis doesn't mind us crashin' 'ere as long as we need." Cassidy assured, opening the door into the apartment. Cassidy could feel Lily critiquing the out-of-date apartment, but she kept her mouth shut and just nodded, "Great." She said halfheartedly. Cassidy put the some bags of takeout food they'd grabbed onto the table and turned to Lily, who crossed her arms as her eyes wandered, "So... where is Dennis?" Tulip walked towards the kitchen table and sat down, her hood still on as she lit another cigarette. Cassidy smiled and shook his head, "Oh, on the phone he said somethin' about steppin' out fer a while. Crazy guy. Who knows wot 'es doin'." He chuckled.

Lily was incredibly on edge about meeting Dennis, if Cassidy considered him a good friend, God only knew what kind of character he was. "There's beer!" Cassidy said placing a six pack on the table and grabbing a bottle.

Lily held her hand out and Cassidy opened the one in his hand and passed it to her. He reached into the plastic bag from the store and threw an assortment of anti-nauseants and gas relief meds. With her brow arched, Lily looked up at Cassidy and laughed, "What's that for?" Cassidy was caught off guard by Lily's laughter - it wasn't something he'd heard many times, and it was weird to have it happen a moment he wasn't even trying to make it happen.

"Uh," Cassidy said, "Tulip told Jess she had gas pain and she was nauseous.." He explained. Lily's smile stayed, but her brows narrowed at Tulip, "What!?" She laughed again. Tulip sighed, "I feel fine." She swiped her arm across the table, pushing the meds to the far end, holding her hand out for a beer, "Beer me." Cassidy turned his head and side eyed her, using his beer hand to point at her, "Yeewww," He pointed guiltily, "Lied t'Jess, didn't ye? Cause y'didn't wanna go God huntin' wit 'im?" Tulip slammed her hand on the table, "Damnit, Cassidy. Just beer me, will ya?!" Tulip said.

Cassidy and Lily both laughed as Cassidy handed her a bottle. He chuckled as he brought the bottle to his mouth, "Gas pains.."

Soon after, Cassidy sat at the table and ate the takeout they'd grabbed, and eventually Tulip joined him too. "Ya," Lily drank her beer and sat on the table where Tulip and Cassidy ate, "I would make up near any excuse to go out with Jess looking for God right now." She turned to them, "Maybe tomorrow?" She shrugged. "Aren't ye hungry?" Cassidy asked with a mouthful. Lily shook her head, drinking the beer, "Nah." The next 10 minutes Cassidy rambled random nonsense about himself and Dennis.

"Is Dennis a vampire too?" Tulip interrupted him mid story. Cassidy looked up to Lily and stopped moving, "No." He said shortly, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "I just figured since you go way back and all." Tulip explained. Cassidy shook his head, going to the fridge and grabbing the last beer, "No," He scrunched his face. Lily and Tulip nodded thoughtfully. "Well that's good." Tulip stated.

In the corner of her eye, Lily couldn't help but notice Tulip's knee bouncing anxiously. "You OK?" Lily asked, "What's on your mind?" Tulip bobbed her head, batting her eyes at the plate of food in front of her, "Just Annville, my uncle.. can't imagine how just like that... Wiped off the face of the earth." She breathed in and with misty eyes looked up to Lily, "Not that Annville itself was anythin' worth bein' on the face of the earth to begin with. Hmph." She looked out the window to her side as she chuckled feebly before sighing deeply, "Just lots of history there ya know?" She swung her head back to Lily.

Lily nodded, "Ya," She studied Tulip, and stepped towards her putting her arm around her shoulder as she leaned her head down to her right side so it sat on top of Tulip's head. "I know." She said, looking down at Tulip, "I'm sorry." Tulip reached up to Lily's side and squeezed her in as she closed her eyes, and Cassidy couldn't help but smile at the sight. No wonder Jesse would do anything for these two, it was heart wrenching imagining them apart at all. They fit together like a set. Tulip talked quietly, her eyes still closed, "You were so young. Everything we went through. You're lucky you don't have that shit following you."

Lily sat upright and rubbed her hand across Tulip's back as she walked towards the fridge and let out a sigh, drinking from her bottle of beer, "Yep, that's what you and Jess always say." "Trust me." Tulip groveled, "It's true." "Mhmm.." Lily dragged, leaning into the fridge. Cassidy felt the obvious tension between them on the subject, he stared between them. Lily stood up from the fridge, "There's no more booze?"

"Oh!" Cassidy pushed himself up from leaning against the wall and hopped over to fridge as Lily stood back from it, looking to Cassidy, his face and hand still badly blistered from the sun that singed him in the car earlier. "I got a big bottle o'whiskey." He said, pulling it out from the counter. With a scrunch of her brows, Lily shook her head disapprovingly. Cassidy nodded, his mouth straight as he looked at the empty six pack, "Looks like I brought a six piece to a twelve piece party." He laughed, "Don't worry, I'll grab more from the store down the road. Or.. better yet we can all go out fer an adventure? Find Jess n'find God too? In that order? Hm?" He opened his arms and flashed his eyes enticingly.

Tulip yawned, "I'm gonna hit the sack." She said, "I'm exhausted." Lily nodded, "Ya, I should probably rest too." "Well," Cassidy started, "Guess I'd be too after goin' on a murderous rampage, _ha_!" Cassidy cackled. Lily straightened her lips and breathed in deep as she shifted her eyes away. Tulip cleared her throat, "Ya, I'm not really into runnin' around either. Might be nice to just coop up for a little bit." She said.

Lily looked at Tulip and turned her head with a glint in her eye, "Are you guys fighting?" She asked out of nowhere. Tulip leaned back, knowing right away she was referring to her and Jesse, "What? No." She wrinkled her brow defensively. "Ok.." Lily said, "Just checking. You never say no to an adventure." "Well, I just don't feel like it, OK? Jeez." Tulip spat.

Cassidy fidgeted in spot, "Y'girls wanna close yer eyes fer a bit, then?" Tulip looked at her phone, although it was only 6:00PM, she nodded and Lily sighed, "Sure."

"C'mon Tulip, I'll show ye t'yer and Jess' room." Cassidy said, walking up to her side and putting his arm around her as she stood up from the chair and Cassidy guided her down the hallway. Lily followed behind, looking into the living room and her eyes studied everything they could.

"Where's my stuff?" Lily asked. Tulip pointed down the hallway, "The living room." Lily nodded, though it hadn't caught her eye when she was just looking into the living room. "No," Cassidy said, "I put it in our room." He corrected. Lily felt her whole body jolt as the word 'our' came out of his mouth.

Tulip lowered her eyes at Lily as she leaned against the doorway, "'Ours'?" She repeated crossing her arms, "As in, like, _yours._ As in you two together?" Lily felt her cheeks get hot as the table of defensiveness turned. She breathed in, "Did you tell Jess the address?" Tulip nodded her brow arched, "Ye-p." She said with a lip pop and a look that was so judgmental to Lily that it felt like Tulip could see through her clothes.

"Ok," Lily said, feeling her crinkle into herself a bit, "Great." She walked towards her room, "Night, Tu!" She said with her back to Tulip. "Night, Lil." She sang back. As Lily turned into the room Cassidy had led her to, she smacked his chest with her lips tight, he flinched back, "What was that for!?" She whisper-screamed. He smiled with his brow wrinkled, "That's payback fer using my name like a weapon like that t'get me t'do wot y'wanted."

Lily scoffed, her arms crossed, "I had no idea you cared so much that people knew your _real_ name." "Well I do, so.. don't do that again." He said. She pulled her head back, hating being told what to do. Cassidy grabbed a towel, "I'm showerin'." "Is there another one somewhere?" She asked, looking at her array appearance in the mirror. Cassidy shook his head, "Nope, but I'll leave the door unlocked." He smiled.

She side eyed him with a glare and caught his grin as he closed the bedroom door on his way out. Lily inhaled, her body heated with annoyance at how easily Cassidy could get under her skin and make her feel so conflicted. She'd never wanted to rip someones head off just as much as she wanted to rip their clothes off.

* * *

Later on, Lily walked out of the bathroom from having her own, _private_ , shower, the apartment was quiet other than the old refrigerator humming loudly. There was no sign of Cassidy, so she'd imagined he must have either stepped out or gone into the only other room in the apartment.

She grabbed herself a large bottle of water she'd grabbed before going to Denis' and washed a glass from the cupboard (just to be sure), and then walked into her room, which was empty of company. She exhaled, the peace and quiet relieved her as she poured the water into the tall glass.

She closed the bedroom door behind her and locked it before she unwrapped the towel from her head and began drying her long damp hair. She stood in her silk floral robe, like a fresh and clean start to the world, a complete contrast to her battered, dusty surroundings that look like they'd been decaying in their spots the past century. Regardless of how exhausted she was, she was still bothered by the musty smelling, tattered bedding.

She was brushing her hair and leaning on the end of the bed on the frame, she stared at the mirror on the vanity in front of her and began drinking her water. Then, a movement caught her attention. Without thinking, she tossed the large glass of water towards the movement and dropped the brush before reaching down to her open suitcase to grab a gun.

In the window-way stood Cassidy, soaked from her glass that broke against his head. He reached up, a gash on his forehead area. "Ohh!" He groaned. Lily gasped, "Cassidy! What the _Hell_ is wrong with you!?" She said in frustration, whisper yelling again. "Pretty sure the words yer lookin' fer me would be, 'Are y'alright?' " He groveled. Lifting his hand down from his head as he wiped his blood away.

Lily huffed, turning to grab her towel that was just on her head and walking back up to Cassidy as she tugged on his arm, pulling him to sit on the bed. "Ya don't have t'hit me on the head t'coax me into bed wit ya, love." He said. Lily pursed her lips and began folding the towel nicely to make it easier to dab with, "What were you doing out there, anyway?" Cassidy threw an arm out straight in front of him, "There's a little deck. I was havin' a smoke." She moved the towel against his cut before suddenly noticing his blistery-burn had vanished.

"Your burn," She dropped the towel and grabbed his hand. "Yea, I figured while y'cleaned up, I would, too." He explained. Lily nodded, looking at the gash in his forehead drip more blood. She felt her ears ring and mouth water at the sight, her heart racing. She silenced the ringing when she placed the towel back up to his forehead, clearing her throat to get the idea out of her mind. "I think I'm still really influenced by your blood right now." She admitted to him, her head spinning a bit. "Hmph!" Cassidy laughed, "No shite. Ya should've died, the amount ya took." He looked at her, "That." He pointed, "Was really stupide. Bad call on yer part." Lily nodded, "I don't usually want to do things that are stupid or bad, it's just, this time.."

She stopped, he looked at her. It was true, Cassidy had only known her for a short amount of time, but he'd been on this earth enough to know more about people then they knew of themselves. One thing about Lily Cassidy knew for sure was that she was really refraining from living. "This time I really needed it." She confessed. Cassidy smiled, "Yea, I get that." He said, "I'm happy yer feelin' more loose n'not bein' so entirely boring and experiencin' life in all of it's life-threatening beauty." Lily dropped her shoulders and eyes to him, "But, maybeee.." He continued, "Next time not as ridiculous of a risk to yer life, how bout? Work yer way up to the top of life threatening experiences, hmm? Start wit like... wearing a pair of non-designer shoes or eatin' a vending machine tuna sandwich from a dingy gas bar or somethin'.."

Lily raised her brow, "I'd sooner die." Cassidy laughed at her and Lily looked at him to catch his eyes, taking the towel off his forehead. She began braiding her long, damp hair to the side, keeping her hands busy. "Cass-" She said. "What?" He asked, hearing her heart race faster. Her strategy to keep her hands busy with her hair was useless, she let go of her half braid and reached her arms around his shoulders, pulling him close.

"Oh," Cassidy pulled away, deflating Lily. "What?" She asked with wide, brokenhearted eyes. "I don't think y'want t'kiss me.." He growled lowly, feeling her pulse all around him. Lily's brow lowered slightly, she couldn't handle him teasing her, "Why not?" She said softly, her lips getting closer to him as the tension was nearly burning through her. He backed away and talked a little louder, "Cause I jus' drained a deer, n'after that, I came across a cat that was _definitely_ someone's household pet." He chuckled maliciously, and there was a pause, before he shook his head with a grin, "There was a collar on it and everythin'." "Oh for Christ sake.." She scoffed, pushing away and scrunching her eyes closed, the spark vanishing as her hands went back to her hair to finish braiding what she started.

Cassidy laughed, standing up and walking to the door, "Lemme jus' brush me teeth n'we'll continue that thought," He said, half of his body down the hallway already. Lily rolled her eyes to him, "Pretty sure having _any_ kind of encounter with a vampire constitutes one of the top of the list items for life threatening things, so maybe better if we _don't_ continue that thought? Since you want me to tone it down, take it easy, and all that?" She scrunched her nose as she teased him.

He smirked at her, which vanished as he walked down the hallway towards the washroom, his mind busy.

All of her joking aside, she wasn't far off.


	36. Beg For Your Life

Please note: When a character is " _Talking in full italicized like this"_ it means they're speaking French. Thank you!

* * *

Lily was more than ready to continue that thought, waiting for Cassidy to freshen up and meet her back in the bedroom.

Finally, Cassidy came in, barreling towards her, making her think something was wrong. "Cass- What?" "Jus' come!" He yanked her off the bed and out towards the kitchen, "Dennis is here!" He explained, putting a hand on her back and pushing her down the hallway to where Dennis sat at the kitchen table.

Lily felt her face get hot at the fact Cassidy felt it was entirely OK to introduce her to his friend in her bedroom robe. She didn't even have a bra on, crossing her arms over her chest self-consciously. 'Dennis', as Cassidy had called him, was an elderly man, nothing of what Lily had pictured at all.

"Dennis," Cassidy practically sang, "This is Lily. Her n'I well, we're an item. We're seein' each other, so.. get used t'seein' her around." Lily cringed on the inside at how awkward Cassidy had to make things feel, she looked down at Dennis who hardly passed her a glance, murmuring under his breath, "Une autre de tes prosituees?" Which Lily had heard pretty clearly as an insult. Cassidy laughed, "Ya, that's right, Dennis." He said completely clueless Dennis had just asked if Lily was yet another hooker Cassidy had brought back.

"You speak French?" Lily said with a sour face. Cassidy shook his head with a stupid grin across his face, "No, but I know Dennis, I'm sure he's saying somethin' hilarious. Y'can tell jus' by the tone, ya know?"

Lily ignored Cassidy and turned herself closer to the front view of Dennis leaned a hand on the kitchen table and looked at him, even though he was still staring at the newspaper on the table. When her mouth opened, what sounded like pretty much perfect french came out, " _I'm not a whore._ " She explained, though it wasn't his fault entirely for believing so - she was the one standing in a skimpy cover up and no bra in the middle of this man's home, " _But tell me,"_ Lily continued, _"Is that something Cassidy is well known for? Bringing hookers home?_ "

Dennis perked straight up and looked at her the same time Cassidy jumped back in surprise. " _You_ can speak French?!" Cassidy said in revel. She side eyed Cassidy, "Not fluent. I know a fair amount of Spanish, too. And Italian." She bragged. Dennis tapped her, talking to her quickly and with much enthusiasm. "Wot the Hell?" Cassidy groaned. "I didn't have much of a choice." Lily justified, "For business relations. Hated not knowing what foreign partners were saying to each other in secret - _right_ in my face."

Dennis and Lily exchanged words quickly.

"Wot's he sayin'?!" Cassidy asked eagerly, pulling at her.

Lily looked up at Cassidy with Dennis still talking in her other ear, "He's telling me about all the hookers and nonsense you've brought back here through the years."

Cassidy's brow raised and for once he felt his cheeks heat up, not many times in his life Cassidy could remember feeling embarrassed - but for whatever reason in this moment he actually was a little bit. She lowered her brows,"About how much of a pain in the ass you've been, nothing I don't know." She teased, but little did she see know Cassidy didn't take that lightly at all. She missed Cassidy's look of disappointment as Dennis grabbed her shoulder and pulled her attention back to himself. He was shit talking Cassidy to her, not one good thing to say. She leaned down listening to him talk, " _I need you to talk to him for me.._ " His words were cut off by his hacking.

" _Are you OK?_ " She asked, watching him grab his inhaler.

" _This is what I'm getting at_ ," He panted, " _I can't stand this any longer._ " She pulled up a chair and sat, looking at Dennis as her brow furrowed.

"Wot?" Cassidy asked, "Wot is it?"

"He wants me to talk to you, tell you what he's saying." Lily said.

"Great! Please." Cassidy said enthusiastically.

She turned back to Dennis, " _Ok, what would you like me to say Dennis_?" Dennis placed the inhaler in the pocket of his housecoat, " _It's not Dennis._ " He mocked, " _It's **Denis**."_ He coughed, " _Tell him_ _I'm dying_." Lily sat up straight and raised a brow, her voice soft, " _That's the first thing you want me to say...?_ " Denis got somewhat frustrated, " _Shit! Just tell him._ " He hacked again, " _I've got no time left_."

"Ok, ok," She held her hands out to Denis and placed one on his arm in and understanding manner. She turned to Cassidy, "He's dying." She said, which she only then realized she should've been saying it with much more sensitivity as she did, as she was not expecting Cassidy to look like she just ripped his heart out. His face dropped, "Wot?" He said breathlessly looking at Denis, who sat there with a straight face.

Cassidy took of his sunglasses, staring directly into Denis's eyes with pure concern, "Are ye sick?!"

Lily's eyes got a bit wider as she looked between the two of them, Denis was the clear image of sickly - it was concerning to Lily that Cassidy was surprised to hear from Denis that he was as sick as he was. Denis kept talking, and Lily struggled to keep up with him, he pulled her closer and spoke in a hiss.

Cassidy watched as Lily as she studied Denis's face and then, her eyes squinted." _What_?" She said softly. Denis nodded. Cassidy could hardly handle it, he grabbed her, "Lily, wot? Tell me." Lily looked at Cassidy, "He knows you're a vampire?" Lily asked, Cassidy nodded, "Yea. So wot? Wot else did he say? Why's that matter?" "Because.." She hesitated a moment before taking a breath, "He said he knows you can end his suffering.. I think that he's implying that-"

As Cassidy's face dropped and eyes hardened, Lily wasn't sure if she should've kept talking, but she did anyways. "Can you do that?" She asked softly. Cassidy's head turned to Denis, "No!" Cassidy interrupted sternly, and Lily couldn't help but lean back as Cassidy stared at Denis with such intensity, it sent a shiver through her as the hairs on her skin stood up.

"Cassidy.." She reached a hand out to his arm and he didn't take his eyes away from Denis's as he stood up, leaning to be at eye level to Denis who's expression was blank and not at all threatened by Cassidy, "Do y'understand me? No!" Lily stood up with him, her hands grabbing his arm, "Cass," She said quietly, lightly tugging to pull Cassidy away from Denis, but it was no use as he pulled even closer to him, "No!" He said again in his face.

Denis groaned, looking past Cassidy and instead up to Lily, " _What about you, can you change me?_ " He asked. Cassidy's just before soft tone was completely gone as his energy radiated was tense and short tempered, "Wot's he sayin' to you?" Cassidy stood up straight and turned to her as he asked defensively. She shook her head as she looked at Cassidy's hard face.

" _I'm not like Cassidy._ " She said to Denis, as she did, Cassidy's eyes flickered at his name. He turned himself to be completely facing her, blocking her sight from Denis, "He asked me if I could change him." She said softly. Even though she couldn't see Denis, he kept talking. Lily crossed her arms and listened, keeping her eyes on anything but Cassidy's.

" _He owes me this, at the least._ " Denis said.

She looked up to Cassidy, "Why do you owe him?" He sighed as he crossed an arm while the other hand rubbed his chin, closing his eyes.

Lily's eyebrows dropped, "Cassidy.." She said, "What did you do?" Cassidy finally sighed, dropping his head before looking to his other side, "It's more so all the things I didn't do, I'd imagine." Lily shook her head lightly, not understanding. Cassidy finally lifted his eyes to her, "It's-

Denis hacked again, reaching for his inhaler. Cassidy huffed, "He has every right to be right pissed at me, I suppose, but that doesn't mean I owe 'im _that_." He looked back to Denis, "I'm not doin' that! N'don't ask again! _Ever_!"

Denis groaned, " _Some advice for you, young lady_." Lily swallowed, and Denis continued, a look of rawness in his eyes, " _Don't waste another second on this excuse of a man. You will live in disappointment, you will live in anger, you will spend your life in misery until he will let you die, no matter how hard you beg for your life._ " By the end of his words he was spitting them angrily while looking at Cassidy, who looked directly back with the same hard stare.

Cassidy didn't need to understand French to know what he was saying wasn't friendly conversation. He grabbed his jacket in a quick jolt and headed for the door. "Cass-" Lily called out to him as he slammed the door. She sighed, glancing at Denis for a moment before going to the bedroom to change into her clothes.

* * *

 **Where are you?**

She'd texted him almost as soon as he left a good twenty minutes ago, and in that time, he was already on his second drink at a bar down the road.

He didn't have it in him to answer her text. He wanted to be left alone, he was in a terrible mood and the last thing he wanted was for her to be in the middle of it. Not more than another glass of whiskey later, he felt someone grab his shoulder, he turned and saw it was Lily. She scooted her way between the stranger that sat in the stool beside Cassidy, sandwiching herself between the two of them, facing towards Cassidy.

"How'd y'find me?" He asked curiously, clueless to know she'd simply used his phone account credentials she'd set it up with to track where he was. She didn't answer him.

"What's with you ignoring me?" She countered bitterly as she grabbed her phone and waved it in his face. Cassidy sighed heavily, turning forward with his elbows on the bar as he slouched miserably, sliding his sunglasses up from the edge of his nose, "I don't want t'talk about-" She interrupted him, pushing closer to him as she squeezed his arm and her tone much quieter, "I didn't come here to _talk_." He looked turned his head to her as his brow narrowed.

"I have this place I'm going to hit for some cash." She whispered, watching him move his eyes to from her mouth to her eyes as the bartender topped his glass. Lily could see his curiosity peak , "I would be nice to have some company." She flickered her eyes as he stared at her. When he didn't say anything she tilted her head, "It's got a full bar there, too, I'm sure of it." She sang as she coaxed him. He arched a brow and held his eyes to hers for a little too long. She leaned back, "So?" She asked.

He blinked and swallowed as he looked to his glass before he took another drink. She dropped her shoulders, "Fine." She said with her best pout as she took a side step out from between him and the stranger behind her, and before she could take another step, he grabbed onto her arm.

She turned her head back and watched Cassidy finished his glass and threw it down on the bar in front of him. He sighed pulled her arm around his waist, "Alright." He said with a smile, "Where are we goin', then?"


	37. Con Artist

"So I've got all of this _extremely_ well made counterfeit money." Lily explained patting her purse at her side as the two of them walked down the dark road, "I'm gonna bet all of it and win _real_ money back." She said. Cassidy pulled his head back as he dragged from his cigarette, "Jay _sis_ , yer a con artist now?" Lily shook her head and crinkled her brow as she laughed, "Not at all. This is one of the oldest ones in the book. These counterfeits are almost impossible to tell apart from the genuine stuff. Besides, it's all I got." Her face was long as she looked at the pavement they were walking on. He raised a brow, "Yea?"

She pressed her lips together and nodded, looking up to him with dull eyes, "I gave Ezra all the cash I had out. Almost a million to get myself _and you-_ " She said bitterly, "-new identities, but obviously we know that didn't work out. So I'm broke. The rest of what I owned was tied up in Beneke."

Cassidy flinched, " _New identities_?!" He practically fell over, " _A million dollars_!" He shrieked, his eyes were wide and Lily leaned her head back, "It would be nice to be able to, oh I don't know, _leave the country_ when I want, or _check into a hotel_ , or _buy property_ , or just, like, you know _**live life**_." She widened her eyes and shook her head, "And it would be nice if you had an identity that didn't immediately bring up attempted murder from the year 1962, grand theft auto from 1979, second degree murder from 19-" She recited his record. "Alright," He interrupted, "I get it," Cassidy hummed, inhaling his smoke, "But there's a way fer everythin' ya know. Even wit all that following me I've been flying all over th'place, checkin' into hotels, all that shite ya just said y'wanted t'do. There's a way fer everythin' if y'try hard enough. No matter how much y'got followin' ye, no matter how broke y'are."

Lily rolled her eyes as they kept walking, "I'm not _broke_. I have _some_ money stowed away, but I can't get to it yet." She said, before laughing, "Hmph, how sad is it that we have millions of dollars worth of weaponry we stole from the armory below my apartment, but we can't even sell them because they're all serial numbered to lead back to Beneke?"

Cassidy raised a brow, "So those weren't all yer weapons?" He asked. Lily laughed louder, "No. Something I did more frequently for Beneke recently was sales of heavy duty and modified weaponry. I quite liked it, actually." She explained before she sighed, "Ahhh, man, they are going to be so incredibly livid at me."

"Don't worry," Cassidy said. "I'm not." She said back, trying to convince herself.

"So where are we goin', then? Where are ye leadin' us?" Cassidy asked. Lily inhaled, "It's not much further." She said, staring at her phone. "Ye were goin' on about betting back there." He stuck a thumb over his shoulder, referring to their conversation just before, "Izit some kinda casino?" "Not exactly. More like an... underground... club situation." She raised one shoulder, "Sounds dodgy." He stated. "What's that mean?" Lily asked, looking up from her phone. "Dangerous." He explained. "Oh," Lily lowered her brow as she looked back to her phone, "Well, ya, it probably will be." She said.

"Cool." Cassidy said with a grin. Catching his mischievous smile, she cleared her throat, "Preferably, _not_ , though." She clarified. "Right." Cassidy nodded, sarcastically, "Preferably _not_." He mocked back.

They had to go down two flights of dingy stairs into the basement club, where there was a wide variety of people. Music played loudly and Cassidy immediately noticed a bar in the back. In each line of sight, there seemed to be something different going on in the middle of scattered crowds.

Cassidy walked behind Lily, scanning around at all the different faces. A man came up and put his arm out in front of Lily stopping her in her tracks and Cassidy ran into her. He grabbed her shoulders as he looked up to the man that had stopped them in their path - a large unit of a man, a security guard.

"You a member?" He asked, towering over both of them.

"No, but-" Lily started, but was interrupted by the man, "No membership, no entry. Talk to the doorman outside-"

Lily grabbed her purse and opened it to reveal the stacks of cash, "Oh, c'mon.." She said sweetly in a low tone, "I have cash on hand." Her eyes burned into his, "A _lot_ of it." She sang suggestively, "I'm visiting from out of town, leaving first thing tomorrow.. I don't have time or reason to start a membership." The man looked from Lily to Cassidy and pursed his lips, looking to his side, "Two thousand and we'll call it even for the night." He said lowly - careful enough for no one around them to listen in.

Lily pulled her eyes from his, reaching into her bag and handing him two stacks of bills. The man pocketed the money and stepped out of the way, watching the two of them walk into the club.

"Want some?" Lily asked holding out a few stacks of the bills in her hand towards Cassidy as they walked towards the bar. He grinned down at it, "Ah, wot the Hell." He grabbed the cash and threw it in his pocket.

Next thing they knew, and several drinks later, they'd been nearly around the whole club betting on the various events - which were, for the most part, quite brutal. From who could chug the most liquids before they vomited everywhere - to good old fashion punch for punch, there was a wide variety of endurance competitions in this blood bath of an establishment. It was simple: the winner would split the pot with the people who bet on their side. Anyone could volunteer to participate in the competitions, but it seemed that there were regulars who were practically professionals.

Sure, it was barbaric, but all Lily cared about was that out of her counterfeit $20,000 she came with she needed to make real money - and a place like this was a quick way to make money. Eventually, she was up almost double that in _real_ money of bills she'd received back. "Shite.." Cassidy groveled as they watched someone get knocked out in front of them as half the crowd cheered and the other half let out a saddened and unison, _"Awwwhhhhh..."_

"What?" Lily looked up to Cassidy, " _Shite_ , what?" She mocked him. He shook his head and pulled out his pocket lining, "All out." He groaned. Lily choked on her drink, "Again!?" Cassidy bobbed his head and finished what was left in his glass, "Yea," He sighed raising his brow as he turned to her, "Again." He repeated. "You're _awful_ with money." Lily smiled, drinking from her glass in her hand and staring forward to the ruckus as a few men began dragging a table to the center of the crowd.

"I'm gonna get another," Cassidy waved his glass in the air, "Y'want another one?" Lily grabbed the pack of Cassidy's cigarettes he'd left sitting on the table beside her, "Sure." She said grabbing a smoke from the pack and lighting it. She watched the group of people drag two chairs to the table and she raised her brow, wondering what the next spectacle would be.

With a moment to herself, she noticed that the time was almost one in the morning, and Jesse had texted her. He was home safe with Tulip, asking where she was. She texted him back:

 **Someone's gotta make some money around here.**

From the corner of her eye, she saw Cassidy walk back up, rubbing his nose and sniffing a few times, "Jesse's back at Dennis'. Safe and sound with Tulip." Lily reported. He nodded, his eyes behind his shades were a bit wider as he grabbed her glass from the table beside her, regardless of the fact it was still nearly a quarter full, and handed her a new drink. She sipped it, and it was refreshingly cold in the muggy, warm club, "Thanks." Her eyes caught him putting another bottle of whiskey on the table. She turned from her phone to look at the first empty bottle, "Jesus," She said, "You finished a whole bottle already?"

He pulled his head back defensively, "Excuse me?" He waved his glass at her, "You drank a lot of that, too, thank y'very much!"

Lily blinked, thinking about how much she had drank already, "I've drank a lot." She stated. "Cheers t'that." Cassidy said, clinking his glass to the one Lily held in her hand. The fact she hardly felt phased must have had something to do with Cassidy's blood.

"Wot're they settin' up now?" Cassidy asked, lighting himself a cigarette as he pulled her out of her train of thought.

Lily shrugged a shoulder, looking ahead at it, "I don't know.." She said pulling the smoke out of her mouth. Each competition, the cash pool was displayed beside it. This one was _huge_. The biggest stack yet.

On cue, one of the bet collectors came by, a cute girl probably a few years younger than Lily, dressed in a skimpy outfit as she did her best to convince the various members to place their bets. There were a few bet collectors on the floor, but by now, this one was familiar with Lily and Cassidy, or as she knew them as, Bill and Julie, and she was excellent at her job.

She glided up to Lily, "So, _Julie_ ," She batted her eyes at Lily, "What are ya thinkin'? You wanna go for Carl the underdog, or Theo? Listen.." She scooted closer to Lily, "Between us, I just wanna tell you that Theo's won the arm wrestling competitions four weeks in a row here.

Lily raised her brow, "Arm wrestling?" Her eyes looked at the group of people in front of them, and Cassidy noticed how let down she suddenly was. Expecting something more exciting, Lily leaned back against the table with a huff. Cassidy, on the other hand, perked up.

The girl nodded as she popped the gum in her mouth, staring out to the two men sitting down at the table, who were stretching their arms in a serious manner, "The pot's _way_ bigger pay for anyone who beats him and wins. Like _BIG_ pot!" Suddenly, the sight of the mountain of cash put a perk in Lily again, "Oh?" She asked curiously. The bet collector nodded, "Ya," She snapped the gum in her mouth, "But the possibility of that happenin' is slimmer than a supermodel addicted to coke." She chewed at the gum in her mouth, "It's kinda gettin' borin' to be honest with ya, cause as you can see.." She held her arm out to the crowd, "You have t'be very ballsy ta go against Theo.. He's only a few days away from a month streak - that's when things get interesting cause he gets the whole money pot the clubs been holdin' on to this month instead of havin' ta split it with anyone. The bigger that pot gets, the more ballsy people get at the chance for it.. but so far no one's given Theo a fight for their money.."

Lily nodded, "Hm," She threw a few hundred into the pot, "For the underdog." She said. The girl raised her brow, " _Woooow_ , Julie, that's really riskin' it." Lily pressed her lips together and nodded, "What can I say?"

The girl sauntered up to Cassidy and walked her fingers up his chest, "What about you, handsome?" She sang. Lily was amused watching this girl move around the bar playing the same flirtatious front, doing her best to sell as many bets as possible. Cassidy shook his head, "Nah, I'm gonna sit out this one." "Did ya spend all your money, darling?" The girl asked, looking up to him with wide eyes as she placed her hands on her hips. She laughed, looking towards Lily who couldn't help but flash a grin towards Cassidy, who crossed his arms defensively, "I don't wanna bet but I'll get behind the underdog t'kick that Theo bastards arse." He proclaimed.

Lily nearly spat her drink out.

The girl shook her head, laughing harder, "Oh, _Bill_ , you're a funny guy." She waved her hand at him, placing her other on her hip. "No," Cassidy said, grabbing the girls arm, "I'm serious, put me down." He said. The girl looked up at him, "Oh..." She said awkwardly, "Alright.." She grabbed a pen and paper and looked back up to Cassidy, "I'll go and let 'em know." She grabbed one of his arms and squeezed it before walking away.

"That's the smartest thing I've heard come out of your mouth since-" Lily said, "Probably _ever_ , actually." She corrected, putting the cigarette out in the ash tray between them.

Cassidy smiled at the two men getting in position to arm wrestle in front of them, "Reminds me of old times." Lily drank from her glass.

"Hey," Cassidy said, elbowing her. "Hm?" She looked up at him drinking from her glass. "I can't help notice yer not much phased by 'er gettin' all touchy-feely on me." He stated.

She lifted her glass to her mouth and a smile crossed her lips, "She's just doing her job, Cass." She said into the glass, "It's a strategy _._ To sell more." She shook her head, staring straight past him, "Look." She tilted her head towards the girl doing practically the same routine on a few other people just a few feet away.

Cassidy looked back to Lily, his brow arched, "Hm."

Lily raised her brow, placing her glass on the table between where they stood as she zoned out to the crowd of people, "Must be exhausting. Pretending you're interested in people that you never want to have to see again. All while everyone beats the every living shit out of each other around you.." She trailed off, suddenly inhaling and looking back up to Cassidy, "Anyway, it's a given you're gonna win this, right? Like, for _sure_?" She asked. He smiled down at her, "Yea." Cassidy said softly. She raised her brows, " _So_ sure that I can place a strong bet on you?" She tilted her head to the stack of cash on the table between them, " _That_ sure?"

Cassidy lowered his head, flashing his eyes at her with a wide grin, "Sure as shite."


	38. Bloodstained

The arm wrestling was suppose to go for 3 rounds, if needed. Well, during the first round, the underdog had done his hardest. His face was red and he groaned and moaned but in the end Theo reigned and slammed his fist down.

Then the second round came only seconds after, the underdog was doing well at resisting, until his arm broke, the bone sticking out. A few people around turned, a couple people even puked, and a couple grabbed the poor man, wrapped him up and escorted him out as he cried in agony.

Lily passed Cassidy a glance, "Jesus." Lily said.

Cassidy stood in front of her, grabbing her hands and his face as serious as ever, "If I don't make it.." He said dramatically. "Oh, shut up!" Lily pushed him and smacked his chest as he turned and began to skip away, he stumbled with a cackle, rushing up to the table.

When he sat down, the bet collector was immediately up to Lily, sliding close to her side, "So, how much are ya gonna put?" She shook her shoulders encouragingly, "Last round you put five hundred down for the underdog, why not double that for your man?" She desperately tried to up-sell, but little did she know, she didn't have to.

Lily smiled at Cassidy who sat at the table, practically overdosing on amusement as he laughed at the giant man in front of him, God only knows what he words he was using, but his cackle said it all. There was a sparse crowd around them, as everyone imagined Cassidy wouldn't stand a chance.

Lily finally turned to the girl, "Nah, not double." She said, reaching into her purse, "Let's raise it tenfold." She gave the girl five grand, and the girl's mask couldn't hide the fact she assumed Lily was right crazy. "Oh, holy _shit,_ Julie!" The girl said, it was as if her front malfunctioned, not expecting Lily to raise so much on such an obvious loss, "Good luck, doll." She spun around and Lily watched Cassidy pointing his finger in front of him, his arm over his stomach as he belly laughed at something.

The man in front of him was beet red and Lily almost worried if Cassidy didn't stop running his mouth, this arm wrestling competition would turn into a full blown brawl.

Finally, a man who worked for the club got the two of them into hands grips of each other, giving them a quick talk before stepping back and telling them to go. In a second flat Cassidy slammed Theo's arm down on the other side. The club went silent, other than the sound of a few gasps, and of course Cassidy's loud cackle. Then, some people burst out in unbelievable laughs.

Then the chatter began. _"Did you see that guy?" "He just slammed Theo down in an instant?" "Who_ _ **is**_ _that?!" "How did he do that?"_

Lily's shoulders raised as her mouth went straight, her eyes scanning around as the crowd that was once sparse became a lot more congested around Cassidy and Theo. She'd hoped Cassidy would have at least made it look like _somewhat_ of a struggle. "2 outta 3, right?!" Cassidy yelled, his hand ready in position again. Theo's face was nearly white as he gave his head a shake.

The make-shift ref called second round as Cassidy slammed Theo's hand down again, to which Cassidy howled in celebration in the man's face, cackling as Theo stared blankly, in complete disbelief.

Cassidy grabbed a fistfull of the stack of cash on display beside them, throwing it up in the air, the bills fluttering down as the crowd cheered. "Next rounds on me!" He yelled, laughing loudly as he jumped on the table. Lily watched him celebrate her face flat as she was noticing everyone's curiosity was unable to be retained anymore. Cassidy was practically swarmed by people. The bet collector ran up to Lily, "I can't believe it, Julie!" She said, as the club buzzed with energy, "I can't believe it! This will be the highest bet winnin' I've ever given out! I'll grab the cash for ya!" She screamed. Lily nodded, not keen on the crazy amount of attention that was being put on the both Cassidy and herself.

She noticed in two corners, there were club security workers exchanging words as their eyes studied Cassidy. Suddenly, Lily's mouth got dry as she felt something very wrong. These people were not happy Cassidy had won, in fact, they were suspicious and livid. Pushing through the crowd to try and get to Cassidy was a struggle, but finally, she was standing underneath him as his hands were up in the air, basking in the attention.

She pulled on his jacket, trying to get his attention to her instead, but it was no use, so she yanked at it hard until it forced him to lean down. She stared up at his face in front of hers as he still stood on the table, "We gotta go." She said. His brow dropped, saddened and confused. " _Julie_!" A girl's voice caused Lily to spin around, her grip letting go of Cassidy's jacket. The bet collector held her hand out and counted out $50,000 from the club, as Lily's bet was high against Cassidy's odds.

Before Lily could take the $50,000 practically on the silver platter for her, two burly men stepped beside the bet collector, one of them had the defeated Theo at their side, " **Wait** ," The other one of them bellowed, silencing almost everyone in the club. "Let's see your membership cards." One of them said, "The both of ya." Lily blinked, and felt Cassidy, standing on the table at her side, feel the same sensation.

Lily snatched the cash out of the bet collectors hand the same time Cassidy jumped down from the table and dragged his arm across the table to grab all the cash, his other arm scooping around Lily as he pushed her ahead.

"I knew it!" They heard a man yell, "They played us! Theo's in on it, too! He probably hired them to split the winnings! There's no way he's not in on it! Find him, too!"

It was complete chaos, the crowd scattered disorderly as Lily and Cassidy tried their best to weave around people. Suddenly, all of the lights went on bright and the music stopped, as they did their best to stay low. Lily stared at the main entrance, blocked by three men. Cassidy tugged on her, his arm full of cash, "This way." He said, pulling her towards a side door. She followed close behind him, he had got a little bit ahead as he threw the cash into a garbage can, lifting the bag and tying it as he tossed it over his shoulder.

Lily felt a harsh tug as she was swept backwards into the arms of a security guard, a heavy set woman, who grabbed Lily by the neck and slammed her against the wall, to which Lily groaned in pain, "I got her over here!" The woman yelled. Lily felt her purse full of cash fall to the ground with a _thump_ and her throat was almost too tight to breathe.

"Oh, no ya don't." Cassidy said, smashing a bottle he'd grabbed from the bar at his side over the woman's head. She wobbled as she fell to the ground, right on top of Lily's purse. As Lily's throat was released, she hit the ground as well, gasping for air as she tried desperately to yank on her purse that was stuck under the heavyset woman. She tried pushing on her to roll her off of it, but the woman was like a giant sack of cement.

The crowd was almost entirely dissipated, leaving them in the wide open, as three men ran up towards them. Lily watched Cassidy kick a man in the chest, grabbing another one of the men by the scruff of the shirt and throwing him into the last of the three. "Lily, let's go!" He said urgently. "My purse - it's stuck under her!" She threw her arms out. Gun shots were fired and at the same time, Lily ducked with her hands above her head.

Cassidy kicked a table down in front of her as he was shot through the stomach and another two through the shoulder. He jumped behind the table with her, she lifted her head quickly, watching him as he was staring at the blood pooling out of his abdomen and even more out his shoulder. He clenched his teeth as he breathed deep through the pain. His eyes scanned to the side door, right in front of them.

He peaked out at the woman in front of the table. With one arm, he grabbed the woman's leg and dragged her towards them but her leg popped out of it's socket. Cassidy groaned, throwing the detached limb to the side as he grabbed her other leg, being cautious not to pull so hard, until her body was off of Lily's purse. Lily stared in awe. It was easy for her to forget just how strong he was. Cassidy looked at her, "I'm gonna pick up this table" He said loudly over the gun shots, "N'yer gonna stay behind me n'walk forwards so ye can grab yer purse. Then we're backin' up to the door. Got it?" "Got it." She repeated.

Cassidy handed her the garbage back full of his winnings before he breathed in. He lifted the heavy wooden table with what seemed like little effort, and Lily wrapped her arm around his waist, keeping her head down as bullets shot beside and through the table Cassidy used as their shield. She saw her purse come into view and quickly leaned down to grab it, when out of nowhere, a man approached them from the side, a large knife in his hand.

Lily swung her purse, hitting his hand from underneath, the knife flying out of the mans hand and sticking into the ceiling. The man was looking up at it when Cassidy lunged towards him, his one arm still holding onto the table his other with it's hand's grips around the mans throat. They quickly began backing up towards the door as Lily pushed through, it lead to a back alley. Cassidy dropped the table with a loud slam before stepping out into the alley and as Lily began running before noticing she didn't hear Cassidy behind her, she turned to see him slam the man in his grasp against the wall, burying his face in his neck as the man yelled in agony.

It was impossible to look away as she watched the man have the life drained out of him. Cassidy spat out whatever skin got stuck in his mouth as the man's neck gaped entirely open. Finally, Cassidy let go of the lifeless man, his corpse falling to the ground as Cassidy walked quickly toward Lily, wiping his sleeve across his face as he spat out some more skin stuck around his mouth.

He grabbed the garbage bag full of of cash from her hand, reaching into it and throwing some bills in the air, grinning to display his blood stained teeth, flesh caught between them. Lily pulled his hands down, scrunching the top of the garbage bag closed, "Enough with the breadcrumb trail, Hansel." She hissed quietly, "Let's go!" She urged, pulling at him as they began running.

* * *

The two of them ran so far for so long, they'd completely turned themselves around and had no idea where they were. They'd found themselves under a bridge, finally stopped to catch a breath.

"Would it..." She panted, "Have killed you...to... to... be a little... more... discrete... about the whole winning thing?" Her lungs burned as she grasped onto them.

"Alright, _Julie_." Cassidy said mockingly. Lily scoffed and rolled her eyes, "Whatever!" She scrunched her face, "Better than Bill."

" _Hey_ ," Cassidy whined, walking towards the water, "Wot's wrong with Bill?"

Lily's breath was choppy as she continued to try and catch her breath, "It's boring." She said shortly. "Going from Proinsias to Bill? _Please_." She watched him as he threw water up around his face and neck, doing his best to rinse off what he could of the blood.

"Proinsias is _way_ more interesting," She continued, "Even the name Cassidy has character. But, Bill? Bleh."

"Y'think so?" He asked, wiping down his neck.

"I've never heard the name Proinsias in my entire 25 years of existence. I've met a million Bills."

"Always taught it was quite embarrassin', actually." Cassidy groveled as he stood up and walked back towards her.

She huffed looking up to him, "It's almost 3AM." She said, rubbing her face. "Let's go get a room." Cassidy said boldly. Lily's heart jumped, as her eyes shot up to his. She lost her breath again, "I can't use any of my credit cards, Cass-" "Sh!" Cassidy said, pulling out his wallet to reveal a credit card, "Like I said, I've been doin' all the things you had said would be impossible to do with my _shite_ identity for a hundred years!"

In a blur, she snatched the credit card from his hand, it was tattered, unsurprisingly. It looked like it'd been run over twelve times and looked like it was as old as _he_ was. His name was engraved on the bottom. She widened her eyes, looking at the back of it, where his signature was completely smudged off, "How-" He snatched it back, "Like I said, love. There's a way fer everythin'."

"No, seriously." She continued, walking beside him as he began heading towards the road, "I really need to know. How do you have a functioning credit card under your name?" Cassidy flashed his eyes at her, "It doesn't tie t' _my_ name," He corrected, "It's an Irish business account or some shite, I dunno." He tucked his wallet back in his pocket and turned to her with an arched brow, "Someone with smarts like _you_ back home takes care of it fer me."

Lily raised her brows, "So you must have to do something in return?" She pried. They'd been keeping to the alleys and off the main roads, avoiding coming in contact with anyone, but she was noticing him walking towards the streets, where they'd potentially see people. He'd assumed he was fine now that he quickly rinsed off, but Lily yanked on him, looking at his blood stained and bullet-holed nightmare of a shirt and glared up at him as she zipped his jacket up to hide the gruesome display, "Oh. Right." Cassidy laughed, looking down. Lily continued, her hand pushing on his chest, "No one just receives a free-for-all credit card with nothing to return for it."

He shook his head with his mouth flat, "Yea. Sometimes I have t'do the odd thing, and it's _definitely_ not a free-fer-all." Cassidy looked up from her to something catching his eye behind her. She turned to see a cab, and Cassidy stepped out, whistling as the cab pulled over. "Where are you off too?" The driver asked as they both jumped in. "Take us to the nicest hotel in town!" Cassidy proclaimed with great enthusiasm, the garbage bag full of trash and cash tight to his side, and although he'd done a half decent job at rinsing his face and neck, his teeth were still entirely bloodstained as he grinned wide.


	39. Like You Mean It

As instructed, the cab had taken them to what he believed to be the nicest hotel in town. It was clearly a building with history, yet everything looked pristine and elegant. When they'd got inside to check in, Cassidy, on some sort of ego-high, took the liberty of dealing with everything, which Lily was absurdly fine with, since she'd just noticed how much heavier she suddenly felt.

The more time that had past, the more the affects of his blood wore off. She was beginning to notice how dopey she felt, similar as she did the first time Cassidy had given her his blood.

It had been nearly 24 hours since she'd ingested the absurd amount of Cassidy's blood, it was amazing how long the high had lasted and only now was she beginning to feel it dissipate, and it was starting to feel like a crash.

"Hey," Cassidy said lowly, yanking her out of her hazy trail of thought, "Let's go grab a drink at th'bar. Said it'll be a bit before the room's ready." He explained. With her head getting cloudier each second, she nodded, following him through the hotel lobby into the lounge. Luckily it was so late in the evening, (or rather, early in the morning) there weren't too many people around to give Cassidy weird looks as he lugged a garbage bag around with him.

The hotel wasn't many levels high, only four, and their room was on the top. When she walked into the room, it really was a beautiful sight. Very ritzy and far too fancy for the image of the two of them at the moment. Her eyes caught the ground as there was a painfully cliche trail of rose petals to a steaming hot bath. Candles were lit all around and a bottle of champagne was displayed on the bed around the corner.

Lily dragged her eyes up to Cassidy, who was far too entertained, " _This_ was why we had to wait? You requested the _fucking_ honeymoon suite?"

"Is _that_ what this is?!" He asked innocently, looking around with his brows raised. She sighed, walking to the bed, grabbing the bottle, turning to see him lean against the doorway with his trash bag over his shoulder.

She glanced at the bottle, holding it on her hip as she unraveled the top of it. Looking at the label, she noted it was one of the nicest brands of bubbly known. She raised her brow at him as if she was impressed, before adjusting her grip and holding the neck with both hands as she used a thumb to pop the cork. With a loud **POP** , it hit the ceiling and she raised the open bottle to her mouth.

She released the bottle from her mouth,"Ahh..." She let out in refreshment. "Is'at taste as good as they say?" Cassidy asked, still leaning against the bedroom doorway. Lily flashed her eyes at him, "Why don't you put your trash bag down and find out how good it tastes for yourself?" She enticed.

Within the same second, Cassidy had dropped the bag at the same moment Lily had dropped the bottle on the ground with a heavy _thud_ , watching as he rushed towards her and swept her off her feet, kissing her with an undeniable eagerness. By now, her legs were already wrapped around his waist as he held her around him, rushing up to the nearest wall to hold her against as his boots stepped in the stream of champagne that was pooling out of the bottle on the ground.

As if her life depended on it, she kept her mouth against his. His hands scoured her body, both of them eager to cut to the chase.

Like a light switch, things went from great to terrible for Cassidy. Suddenly all he was aware of was her pulse was all over him. Even the arteries in her thighs that were wrapped around his waist teased him. He felt himself tense as he tried desperately to fight the gruesome images that were popping into his head. He retreated his mind the best he could, trying to keep it going on anything else.

"I can't believe y'can speak French." Cassidy said out of nowhere, leading Lily to believe that he must've been thinking about Dennis. Lily kept her eyes closed and hummed as she continued kissing him "Hmm." She ignored his out-of-place effort to chatter, trying desperately to keep him focused on much better time management as she yanked at his belt and ripped it out of the loops of his jeans in one motion, unraveling her legs from his waist as she pushed him onto the bed and jumped on top of him.

She'd made sure to keep her lips against his to keep them shut. Despite her best efforts, Cassidy found a way. He laughed, talking against her kiss with muffled words, "119 years old n'never learnt another language. How sad issat?" It was as if he was in his own moment, not noticing she was straddling him and doing everything in her power to strip him naked. She pushed her hips down onto his lap, and though his voice was clenched, he _still_ continued talking, "Not that I didn't learn some-"

She groaned, clawing her nails into him angrily and pulling away for a second, "Cassidy. _Shut_ up." With anxiousness, she gripped the bottom of his shirt and pulled it over his head, connecting her lips to his again.

"Y'know," He said, pushing her away slightly, "There's somethin' I should explain." With another groan, she clawed her nails into him harder, her lips still against his "Cassidy-" He ignored her, "Dennis.. I need t'tell ye why he's got sucha bad taste in 'is mouth about me." He said flatly. Lily furrowed her brows and rubbed her face in disbelief as she moaned dramatically, pulling him close again, " _After_ , Cassidy, after.." She insisted, gripping the back of his head and pulling him into her chest as she arched herself back with a moan.

She felt his heavy breathing against her chest working up to her neck and she began grinding her hips against him. Her heart was racing and her body tingled with anticipation and pleasure. The beat of her heart was like a bass drum punching him right in his face, he scrunched his eyes, feeling his teeth press against her artery in her collar bone, his mouth pooled with saliva and he felt his instincts nearly take over.

Cassidy pushed her off of him and he stood up, shirtless with his pants unbuttoned and hair a mess. He rubbed the back of his neck,

Lily sat on the bed, her face flush as her brow furrowed, "Jesus, Cassidy. _What_?" She practically screamed.

"He's my son." Cassidy said.

Lily didn't process his words properly, "You mean you're Dennis' son. He's... he's your father." She stated, raising her brows. It was impossible for someone as old as Dennis to be the son of someone as young as Cassidy - but in the moment, she was forgetting, though he didn't look it, Cassidy was _119_.

She began doing the math and quickly realized that Dennis being Cassidy's father was impossible, "No..." She said, "Wait." She closed her eyes again, realizing that there was no way he could've had Dennis before Cassidy was a vampire, either.

Lily sat up, staring at Cassidy in the eyes as he went on, "Denis is _my_ son. He's mad cause I've been a bad Da. Haven't been around at'all. That's why I'm havin' a hard time with this 'ole situatio-"

Cassidy kept talking, the words echoed in her head over and over and it felt like suddenly her blood turned to concrete. She was frozen as her brain was catching up to reality. As he still rambled, what he said was slowly flooding into her comprehension - if Cassidy could have children, that would mean _she_ could be pregnant.

Suddenly, her head was flooded with a fuzzy feeling, and she felt herself get dizzy as the room spun around.

Was she going to cry?

Was she going to throw up?

Was she going to kill him?

Was she going to just die on spot?

Her emotions were everywhere, too much to comprehend, the room was spinning more and her sight was getting fuzzy. Before she could lose consciousness, her mind gave her a single second of clarity, "I need a minute." She finally said. He blinked, nodding with a soft pout, "Alright.." He said in understanding, following her with his eyes as she walked into the washroom. All he was left with was the sound of the click as the door locked behind her closing it.

Part of him was relieved the confession had pushed her to get some distance, as he was overwhelmed himself. He ran his hand through his hair with an agitated huff. It made him frustrated, unable to understand why or how to get over the intense blood thirst he was having.

It had been much more than a minute, and it had taken Cassidy a lot of restraint to leave her alone as long as he did. Letting out a deep breath, he put out his cigarette he'd powered through, got up, and walked towards the washroom door. With a light knock, he moved his face close to the edge of the door, "Hey," He said gently, "I know it's a bit o'a shock... n'I'should've told ye earlier, but.." Waiting for a moment, he knocked again, "Jus' let me talk t'ye." He said softly.

"Lily." He repeated. There was no answer, and he had no more patience. He placed a hand against the sliding door and hardly tugged it, breaking it open as it rolled off it's broken track. "I'm sor-" He stopped in mid word. "Ahhh, _shite_..." He groaned, the only thing in sight of the entire washroom was the wide open window.

* * *

Tulip was laying in bed sleeping when she woke up to Jesse creeping into the room. "Hey," He whispered. "Hi." Her raspy voice whispered back, yawning as she looked at the time on her phone. It was nearly 3 in the morning, "How was the God huntin'?" She asked, and he huffed, unbuttoning his shirt, "Not so good. By the third bar fight I figured it was time to call it quits for the night..." "Hmph." Tulip laughed, laying on her stomach with her arms crossed beneath the pillow under her head.

Jesse stared at her, laying so elegantly in the moonlight, "You feelin' better?" He asked. She breathed in, her eyes closed, "A little." She felt him leaning towards her as he kissed her bare shoulder, "But ya can probably help me feel a little _more_ better." Tulip enticed with a grin, rolling her shoulder back towards his lips, "Oh yea?" He asked with feigned ignorance, "How's that?" With her mouth still in a grin, she sighed, "I think you _know_ Jesse Custer." She said softly.

In one motion Jesse moved himself to be leaning over top of her, kissing down her spine, "Back massage?" He asked as she spun around to face him above her, shaking her head, "No." She said softly. He looked down at her, the silk robe she wore barely covering her naked body underneath it as it was nearly unraveled, "Hot bath?" He asked. With an eye roll, she wrapped her arms around his neck and legs around his waist, "No." She said even quieter.

"Oh I know, it's that thing I do with my-" "Yes, it's _that_." She said, with no more patience as she yanked Jesse's mouth down to hers and urged him to go hard and fast. Jesse stayed above her, kissing her softly and tenderly compared to her hard and intense counter. She pulled away with heavy breath, "What's your problem? Kiss me like you mean it." She said with annoyance. He raised his brow, "It's just- you're still not feeling good.." He played dumb, trailing his hand softly down her stomach, a touch so gentle it was just a terrible tease.

Tulip groaned, rolling her eyes and grabbing her face, "No, I'm _fine_." "I just want to be careful with you-" He whispered, barely touching his lips to her skin as he kissed her. Tulip grabbed his hair and pulled his face up to her, "I'm not goin' ta say it twice, Jesse. Fuck me hard and fuck me now!" She insisted.

Jesse took a single moment to look at her hard stare before he decided he had enough of the tease routine. He didn't hold an ounce of his commitment back as he practically threw her all around the room, finding anything to pin her against. He lifted her onto his hips and thrusted himself deep into her, while simultaneously placing her onto a nearby dresser. She moaned, leaning back as she laid on the dresser beneath her, knocking everything off the dresser as she did so.

Each thrust he pushed, the dresser banged loudly against the wall, scraping the old flooring. Eventually, Tulip felt his hands around her lower back as he pulled her back upwards, carrying her towards the bed and throwing her onto it before he soon after jumped on top of her, finding his way between her legs again.

With a loud buzz, Tulip's phone started vibrating. Neither of them flinched as the back light from the screen lit up the entire room. With her mouth and attention still on Jesse's mouth, Tulip reached her hand over to the bed stand, flipping her phone over so it was face down.

Suddenly, it began ringing _loudly_. They both ignored it.. until about the fourth time. "Ughhh." Tulip growled, reluctantly pulling away from Jesse. "Oh c'mon, babe." Jesse cooed. Tulip scrunched her face, "Lemme just turn my phone off it's drivin' me crazy for the love of-" She saw 3 missed calls from Lily. Jesse noticed her sudden stop in words, and felt her body tense in his grasp, "What?" He asked as he held her around him, "Who is it?"

"It's your sister." Tulip said with no urgency. "God _damn_ it." Jesse groaned, diving his face against Tulip's chest, "Just ignore it. I talked to her a while ago. She said she was out making money." He kissed his way up to her lips before he pulled away, "She's a big girl. She's been taking care of herself just fine."

He pulled Tulips chin back towards her and they began kissing again, Jesse released his lips from hers once more, speaking softly, "She's probably just tryin' to rope you out there with her." Jesse said against her lips, "And I'm..." He gripped her wrists,"...not..." pinned them against the wall above her head, "lettin' you go...", kissed her neck, "... _anywhere_." He promised as Tulip arched her back, his breath and stubbled chin against the sensitive area beneath her jaw tickling her as she was unable to hold back a playful giggle.

Tulip dropped the phone in her hands as it hit the ground with a loud **thunk** , wrapped her legs tight around Jesse again as he pulled her up around his hips. As if they hadn't skipped a beat, they kept going. Tulip felt so close, finally a release to all the tensions she'd felt since she heard the words 'New Orleans' come out of Jesse's mouth.

Tulip was so thankful that her and Jesse's sex life had been revived back to the steamy and consistently blissful thing it once was so long ago. She was so close to her climax, and felt Jesse in perfect unison with her, knowing they were both on the edge... when the phone buzzed on the floor, moving itself around.

Tulip groaned, throwing her head back as she felt their momentum crash to a stop. Jesse's face was beet red, mostly in anger, as he leaned over the edge of the bed, picked up the phone, and lifted it above his head, aiming to throw it out the window.

In perfect timing, Tulip snatched the phone out of his grasp, sliding her finger across the screen, unlocking it as she barely missed Lily's call. "Are you **serious**!?" Jesse asked. "Give me a damn second, Jesse, I just want to see what in the Hell she's callin' me like a fuckin' psycho for." She snatched the silk robe from the ground and threw it over her shoulders, tightening it around her waist, watching Jesse has he crossed his arms and leaned back in the bed, glancing at his clothes on the ground.

Tulip pulled his arm, pushing him into her finger she pointed to his chest sternly with, "And _don't_ you put a damn thing on." In her hand, Tulip's phone rang again. Jesse sighed lighting a cigarette as he laid naked in the bed.

"Lily," Tulip growled walking out of the bedroom into the living room area, "You better be dyin'.."

"Worse."

Tulip blinked, running her hand through her hair, backtracking her mood, " _How_ much worse?" She pursed her lips and crossed her arms. "The _worst_ worse." Lily's voice cracked.

Staring out the window, Tulip's face was stone cold as she zoned out, knowing that was their code for needing to go somewhere private in confidence. Without thinking twice, Tulip knew where they'd be able to go. Sooner or later she was going to have to face it, anyway, "I've got somewhere we can go." She whispered with a grave face.


	40. Selfish Moment

_Just want to take a second to say thanks for all of the very supportive reviews. It means so much! Inspired me to push through another chapter to post today. :)_

 _I had a guest account (thank you Jaxsgirl!) ask if I had a fancast/face claim in mind for Lily and to be honest with you, I don't._

 _I tried not to go into excruciating detail with her, and more so just small details here and there for the reader to build their own perception off of._

 _But, when I **do** picture her, she has dark features (being Jesse's sister and all, I'd like to believe they look alike) dark hair, dark eyes against a more fragile image of the rest of her._

 _Although her features can make the image of her come off soft, it just takes one (hard practiced) look of her dark eyes to turn the sight of her from warm to cold._

 _We know for sure she's too concerned about what others are thinking about her imagine and very materialistic. So that leads me to believe she's always wearing some kind of excessive outfit, accessories, and heels, no matter if it's when she's in a business meeting or when she's burying a man in the desert._

 _How do you all picture her?_

 _Thanks again for all the amazing feedback. Please keep it coming! I appreciate it so much._

* * *

It had only taken Tulip 9 minutes to get to where Lily told her to pick her up, and that included a drug store stop Tulip had made beforehand, too. They were now roaring down the roads of New Orleans, to where, Lily didn't know, but she knew Tulip was true to her word and wherever it was they were going, it was safe and it was just between them.

"You haven't heard of birth control?!" Tulip reveled, "The pill, the shot, a condom, for Christ sake - _celibacy_? I mean, there's a _world_ of stuff out there to keep you from getting pregnant."

"I wasn't having sex regularly, OK?" Lily spat back, her hand rubbing her temples as her eyes stayed shut, "I practically _was_ celibate." She whined, "I didn't have any reason to be on the pill, and Cassidy's not even the same fucking species as me technically so why would I imagine ever that I could possibly be pregnant with his-" She gagged at the thought, "Oh **God**. I'm going to be sick!" She yelped, her voice muffled against her hand.

"Oh, **no** you're not!" Tulip growled, her tone matching that of her engine, " **Not** in here!" Tulip yanked on her steering while and screeched over to the side of the road, cars swerving around them as they honked in annoyance. With the door open before the car was at a stop, Lily heaved out the side, thankful to not get a drop of vomit in the car interior.

When she was finally done puking, she spat a couple times, waiting for the wave of nausea to go away as she wiped her mouth and sat up, closing the door as she felt Tulip's eyes on her.

Lily groaned again, "Let's just go, already."

* * *

Sitting alone in Tulip's car with her hand over her eyes, Lily had her phone in her ear. Tulip had parked on the side of the road. Unable to see much since the sun blaring was making everything far too bright, Lily had no idea what the surrounding area looked like. As Tulip demanded, Lily wasn't to move until Tulip came back out for her. Each minute the sun was rising more and it was becoming more and more painful to try and look at anything.

"New Orleans." Lily's voice croaked into her phone, coming to the end of the short conversation.

"Fortunately, I'm in state." The male voice said on the other side, "I will look at flights and see what I can manage, I'll call you right back."

"I'll send my location." Lily stated, hanging up and forwarding her location to his contact.

A long while back, Lily had signed an agreement with a private doctor, one who happened to be a general surgeon. He would provide a wide variety of medical assistance, keep everything off record, _and_ his services were entirely mobile. He would make his way to wherever needed. To top it all off, he had zero ties to Beneke, this contract was one that Lily had signed for her own well being, a security blanket. She'd only had to call him a couple of times, but it was always nice knowing it was a service she had if needed.

Thankfully this was a prepaid service, and luckily she had a good amount of credit left on her account with . About another hour had gone by and Lily reclined back in the seat, the car running for air conditioning as she held her arm over her eyes, starting to believe she was going blind all together. This blood hangover was by far the worst yet, which made sense in her mind on account of how much more she'd taken compared to the few drops she'd taken in the past.

Suddenly, Lily's phone vibrated in her hand. Without moving her arm from over her eyes, she held the phone up to her ear, waiting for to tell her how long he'd be.

"Lily!?" It was Cassidy's voice, "Wot th _ **'Hell**_!" He growled, "Where in th'fok are y-"

Without saying a word, Lily hung up the phone with the press of a button. It wasn't a few seconds before her phone started vibrating again. This time, she squinted at it, barely making out Cassidy's name. She groaned, silencing the call and going into her settings to set his information on ' **Do Not Disturb** '.

After another fifteen minutes, her phone vibrated, this time it was the man she was expecting to call back. "Yes?" She asked. "Barely made it," He said, "But I'm boarding a flight now. Less than 2 hours." A wave of relief consumed her. She sighed, "See you then."

* * *

Lily had been waiting in Tulip's car for a couple of hours by now, finally Tulip came to get her. The sun was peaking up in the sky and it was nearly impossible for Lily to see her eyes were so sensitive. Getting out of the car, Lily realized how much more sore she was when she stood up and walked as Tulip guided Lily into the house. Lily squinted through her sunglasses, getting small glimpses of the surroundings in the beautiful home. She stared down as she heard her shoes clack on the floor, knowing the distinct sound of marble.

With total silence, Tulip took Lily into a bedroom in the large mansion, one with an en-suite washroom. Lily had needed almost complete darkness as she sat in the bathroom, ripping apart every pregnancy test Tulip had gotten her at the drugstore stop before picking her up in a dingy back alley.

There were about 6 different types, and she managed to get almost every one of them covered in her urine. Drinking the water Tulip put at her side, she sighed, the knot in her stomach getting tighter and tighter as she dreaded looking at each test.

Finally, she was able to do the last couple, and after being in the washroom for near half an hour, Tulip opened the door, unable to see much in the dark but knew better than to turn on any light. Reaching her hand in her pocket, Tulip grabbed her phone, turning on the flashlight and pointing it at the 6 tests lined up so perfectly on the counter, "Negative. Negative. Negative. Negative. Negative, and oh look, another negative." Tulip sang, "See." She rubbed her hand on Lily's shoulder, "You're fine." She stuck her thumb over her shoulder, "Now let's go."

And as if on cue, there was a knock in the bedroom door outside the bathroom in the bedroom area. Tulip snapped her head towards the door and scrunched her brow, "We're busy in here!" She yelled, and Lily winced at her loud volume, "Ooh, sorry." Tulip said softly. There was another knock, and Tulip scoffed, tromping up to the bedroom door.

When she opened it, a man stood in front of her, "Doctor Heiz." He introduced himself shortly, "I'm here for Lillian Custer." He said. Tulip pulled her head back skeptically, raised her brows, and the man returned no words or a change in his emotion. Tulip dragged her eyes from the stranger to over her shoulder where Lily stood in the doorway of the bathroom, looking at her with no question or concern, leading Tulip to the sudden realization that she'd called this man here herself.

* * *

The doctor had brought in many bags into the room. It had only been 15 minutes and he'd already taken Lily's blood and an entire body exam. The whole time, Lily had a mask over her eyes the doctor had provided, given her immense discomfort to the light, "Is it a migraine?" The doctor asked. "Something like that." Lily grumbled. The amount of alcohol she'd drank last night combined with the largest vampire-blood-hangover she had yet was a terrible mixture, but she wasn't about to provide those details.

"Can you open your eyes for me?" The doctor asked. "No." She stated, and then felt something go into her hand. "I'm giving you a small dose of oral morphine." He unraveled her hand, "Is there a reason your hands are in tight fists?" He pointed out. She shook her head slightly.

He poked at the device in his hand, the way he had been taking notes the entire time, before taking a breath in, "All signs are negative for pregnancy and everything else seems perfectly normal." He stated. She nodded, "Great." He nodded back, glancing briefly to Tulip who'd been dead silent the whole time, before taking her blood pressure again, "As long as you're satisfied I'll pack up and be off." He stated before the hiss of the blood pressure cuff filled the room as it deflated from around her arm. He crinkled a brow at the device, placed his stethoscope in his ears and moved the other end of it around her chest, watching her nod again, "Yea, all good." She croaked. "I'll start packing, then." The doctor side eyed Tulip once more before grabbing his first bag of supplies and walked out the room to make his first round of packing.

"You called a private doctor to come here just to be sure you're not pregnant?" Tulip said flatly, arching a brow. Above her eye mask, Lily raised her brows, "No, I called on him to do a thorough check up on me and to be here to take care of things in case I _was_ pregnant." Lily said, not thinking the words would affect Tulip the way they did as suddenly Lily felt Tulip's stare practically burn into her soul.

Lily lifted the mask off her eyes and adjusted them at Tulip, who's face began looking flush. suddenly, the doctor stepped back into the room, looking up at the monitors one more time before going to turn them off. Before he did, his finger froze on the power button, "You're obvious pain and sensitivity to light combined with your erratic heartbeat and pressure strikes me more than a bit odd." He noted, "Is it anxiety or perhaps even a panic attack from the fear of pregnancy?"

With a small breath, Lily flexed her fingers in and out, "At first it was just my legs and arms and shoulder areas..." She cleared her throat, "But now it's spread to my toes and my fingers and it feels like my wrists are broken." She held onto her wrists with each hand, "The more I move the more sore I get."

"For how long?" Doctor Heiz asked.

"The past few hours. It's gotten worse." Lily said.

"Even with the oral morphine I'd given you?" The doctor asked, to which Lily nodded. The doctor looked perplexed, "On second thought, I'm not going to leave just yet. Keep an eye on you the next little while, just to be absolute." Lily shook her head, " Doctor, that's not necessary." She knew this was just the consequence of her ingesting such a large amount of Cassidy's blood. Something she was already so sensitive to, and she'd taken a lot of it.

"That _wasn't_ a recommendation." He said.

She huffed. Sure, she'd felt like a super human the last 24 hours, but now the effects of his blood were withering away and her regular human self was coming back. Her body was now making sure she felt every inch she'd presumptuously pushed herself the past day.

With a steady pace towards the door, opened it again, on his way to grab what he had just packed. Tulip watched him intently as closed the door behind himself. The second that door was shut, Tulip turned her head to Lily, "You-" It was as if Tulip's voice cut off as she was unable to form a proper sentence. She shook her head in disbelief, "You are unbelievable, Lillian." Her face was scrunched up in a mixture of disgust and hurt.

Lily scrunched her face back at Tulip lifting her head from the bed, " _Lillian_?" She scoffed, slowly lowered her head back on the pillow behind her and sliding her mask over her eyes again, "If I wanted someone to give me Hell and make me feel like absolute shit I would've ask _Jesse_ to come do that, not _you_."

With obvious purpose, Lily heard Tulip march towards her, "Something that _destroyed_ me - you were willing to have done _voluntarily_? And you expect me to just sit beside you and be there for you through it? Did you for a second stop to think what that would bring up inside **_me_**?" Her voice was loud and had a growl to it.

Lily lifted the mask off her face, throwing it at her side as she sat up through the pain, grabbing Tulip's hands, "Listen to me, Tulip." She kept her voice low and did her best to see her face in the dark room, "What would destroy _you_ and what would destroy _me_ are two opposite things." Lily said with a matching bite to her words, "Don't you ream me out just because my choice just because it isn't the one _you_ would make. Your choice is my living nightmare." Lily's throat got tight as she felt her eyes get teary.

Tulip blinked slowly, a tear rolling down her cheek as she swallowed the dry lump in her throat. They stared directly into each other for a moment, and Lily spoke again, "And for the record, no, I _didn't_ think what this would've brought up in you. I'm having a selfish moment, alright?" She said bluntly, but honestly. Tulip's face softened and she wiped a tear from her cheek, standing upright and looking down at Lily with a nod.

The silence was broke by the doctor walking back into the room. Tulip sat on the royal armchair at the bedside, and Lily laid back down, mask over eyes. The only noise for the next hour was the heart rate monitor above Lily's head.

* * *

Dr. Heiz had finally stepped out of the room. It was so quiet in the bedroom that Tulip felt bad even moving around in the chair. Lily hadn't said anything, and Tulip knew that was only because she was in so much pain.

"He asked me to marry him." Tulip finally said. "Hm?" Lily hummed softly, not moving. "Jesse," Tulip said, "He asked me to marry him a few days ago back at the Mumbai Sky Tower, you know, where we went the few days we left ya in Willingdon? They had a chapel there and everythin'."

"What?" Lily grunted in pain, breathlessly, her brow furrowing a bit.

"Yep. Lots went down the few days we were apart" Tulip sighed, "We didn't though. Don't worry. Ya didn't miss _that_ much." Tulip chuckled. Lily responded shortly with a halfhearted "Hmph", remembering Cassidy's text from when the three of them were separate from her. It felt like a year ago, but it had only been two days since she'd watched Ezra get brutally stabbed through her apartment door peep hole.

The 6 hours she'd been in the locked armory underneath her apartment, struggling to keep Ezra stable were grueling, some of the longest hours of her life.

But the past 24 hours, since Tulip, Cassidy and Jesse showed up, since she'd taken so much of Cassidy's blood - time went overwhelmingly fast.

Her mind raced, a distraction to the steady pain, when suddenly, she was pulled out of her train of thought by Tulip's phone vibrating. With a groan, Tulip silenced her phone, "Cassidy won't stop callin' me." She grumbled. Lily swallowed, using all of her energy, "He can go fuck himself." Lily groaned bitterly, she was at the point now where talking was painful. "I told him we're fine." Tulip said. If she could, Lily would've sat up, "You didn't-" "No," Tulip interrupted, "I didn't tell him _anything_. Just to leave us alone and not to say anything to Jesse. _Obviously_."

Lily's breath wavered as she let out a choppy sigh. After a few minutes of silence, Tulip broke it again, "I know you're real pissed." Lily huffed, and before she could muster up the energy to form a word to contest, Tulip interrupted her, "Just, let me say somethin', alright?" Tulip spat.

Lily stayed silent, mostly because it hurt to much to argue back.

"I know you're real pissed," Tulip repeated softly, " _But_ this is _Cassidy_ we're talkin' about. You think he really even put the thought into his dumb, selfish brain?"

"Doesn't... make it... OK." Lily said slowly. "Nooo," Tulip sang, "It doesn't. You're right. But it doesn't mean he was purposefully tryin' to ruin your life, either. He didn't mean any harm. He's just stupid. He's just... Cassidy." With nothing to say, not even if she could talk, Lily just laid there, and Tulip sat at her side quietly, grabbed her hand and let her rest without leaving her side.

* * *

Lily had been silent for a couple of hours, but she didn't have to talk to let it be known what she was going through - her face said it all. She tossed and turned and her sweat drenched through her shirt and pants she wore. The Doctor was keeping as best track of her information as he could, getting more perplexed by the second.

"Lil," Tulip said in her ear, "You OK? Talk to us. What's goin' on?" Lily's brow scrunched as she clenched her jaw, groaning in pain. Tulip looked up to the doctor, "What's going on with her?" "I don't know." He said shortly, with obvious urgency, "That's what I'm trying to figure out." His hands were busy all around her.

Suddenly, there was a gut-wrenching _snap_ sound that filled the room. Tulip and Dr. Heiz's eyes shot to Lily, who was now screaming at the top of her lungs. "What the Hell was _that_!?" Tulip screamed over top of Lily. The doctor began scouring her for any sign of what the sound may have been, "Hold her arm down." He instructed Tulip, who grabbed Lily's arm and stared helplessly at Lily's face as she screamed, tears streaming down her face.

As she placed her hands on her arm, she flinched. Tulip let go, ripping her sleeve up to expose her arm, the bone clearly broken, nearly piercing through her skin.

Tulip's shouldered dropped, "Hey." She said feebly, "Hey!" She tried again louder, "I think I found it..." The doctor rushed over, his face as shocked as hers. They took only a moment to exchange looks before the doctor did everything in his power to help Lily work through whatever it was that was happening to her. In an instant, she went limp. "What happened!" Tulip asked. "She's lost consciousnesses." The doctor said flatly, staring at the monitor.

"I'll be right back." Tulip said apathetically, walking out the bedroom door to the hallway, grabbing her phone and moving her finger to Cassidy's contact information. She bit her lip and looked up at the ceiling, shaking her head as she looked back at her phone, "I'm sorry, Lily..." She whispered as she texted Cassidy the address:

 **We need u. Now**

 **DONT tell Jesse**

She pressed send, and suddenly the lump in her throat was too big, she choked on it, a soft sob escaping her unwillingly as she raised her hand to her mouth. A door just down the hall opened, causing her throat to close again as she quickly wiped the tears from her cheeks, she looked up and made eye contact with Viktor - the man who's house they were in, and the man that was still technically her husband. There was obvious pain and heartbreak in his eyes, and Tulip would be lying to say she wasn't heartbroken things had to be the way they were.

Viktor pressed his lips together and walked up to her slowly, "Everything going alright?" He asked in concern, "I only ask since it doesn't sound good." Tulip nodded, "Yea," She rasped softly shaking her head with her arms crossed, "Yea, it's not good." She admitted, "Viktor," Looking up at him, "I _promise_ we'll be out of here as soon as-" He shook his head, stopping her from continuing, "Just take your time and do what you need to do. We'll talk after." His words were genuine and kind, and it was making the nest of emotions inside Tulip so much more complicated.

With sparkly, dewy eyes, Tulip nodded and pressed her lips into a forced smile, watching him walk away as Lily's screams started again, echoing down the halls.


	41. I'm Not The One

Cassidy didn't need to hear Lily's screams to know where she was in the house - but they definitely urged him to get to her faster. He barreled through the bedroom door and stared at the doctor and the set up around Lily for a brief moment, "Jaysis." He swore under his breath, watching as Tulip ran up to him, closing the door behind him as she fluttered her eyes at the ground, "Tulip-" Cassidy said, "Wot's going' on?" He reveled back at the medical set up around Lily, an awkward contrast in the fancy, silky bedroom.

"We don't know." Tulip pretty much whispered, "She- uh, she's been in so much pain, Cass. She's stopped talkin' to us a while ago now and he can't figure out what to do. I thought you-" Tulips words cut off as she looked up at him with wide, hinting eyes. Cassidy's eyes focused back at Tulip for a moment, then went back behind her to Lily, who was entirely drenched in sweat as she clenched her jaw and moved her head from one side to the other in slow, grueling agony.

"I mean she told me about her broken leg in the church," Tulip explained.

Cassidy nodded, letting her know he understood her obvious insinuation as he moved past Tulip to be at Lily's side, grabbing her hand and feeling how entirely wet her skin was. The sheets beneath her just as soaked, "Hey," He said calmly, wiping her hair from sticking on her face, "Hey, hey," He cooed, glad to feel her pulse - although it was racing erratically, "It's gonna be alright." He looked up at the doctor, studying his face for a quick moment before looking back at her. Her arms were wrapped up, "Wot 'appened to 'er arms!?" Cassidy said with a tone that switched to urgency.

Tulip was behind Lily's head, tying her hair up in a bun to keep it away from her face. Lily's eyes stayed closed and in the distance she knew she heard Cassidy and she knew she felt him, but she was nowhere near lucid through the pain. Then the cracking sounds happened again. Cassidy practically leaped backwards, "Is that-" "Her bones." Tulip finished his sentence and nodded, her eyes like a deer in headlights as she didn't try to hide how panicked she really was.

Lily screamed again, her heart rate increasing to a maximum. Tulip held her arm on the other side as the doctor watched the monitors. "She's seizing again." The doctor said, injecting something into her arm that Cassidy was holding onto, "Wot is that!?" Cassidy yelled, watching the man shoot a mystery fluid into her bloodstream, "I don't know how much more her body can take." The doctor ignored Cassidy as he looked from the various monitors.

" _Wot's_ goin' on!?" Cassidy yelled louder over top of Lily's wails. Tulip looked up to him frantically, "We don't know, Cassidy!" She yelled, "Can't **you** do something!?" She hinted again, heavier this time. Tulip knew all about what Cassidy's blood could do for Lily, she saw it from the beginning.

The three of them watched helplessly until finally, Lily stopped making sounds, stopped convulsing, and went limp.

On the monitor above her, the heart rate went flat with a loud, gut-wrenching steady beep that consumed the room.

Cassidy's eyes widened, "No!" He said under his breath, "No, no, no." He shook his head as he froze, the doctor starting doing chest compressions over her, the sounds of her ribs breaking as he did. They all watched the monitors and Tulip gripped her head, taking a step back and looking at Lily's face as she choked on the lump in her throat.

The doctor moved quick to grab a defibrillator.

Cassidy glanced at Tulip briefly, her face unlike anything he'd seen on her before. Tulip's face was translucent it was so pale, he looked back to Lily, his mind completely in disorder. The doctor pressed the paddles against her, jolting her body.

Seeing that once was enough as Cassidy pushed the doctor off of Lily with great force. The doctor fell against the monitors, knocking one of them over with a crash, "What the Hell!?" He yelled at Cassidy over top of the steady beep of the heart rate flat line. The doctor watched Cassidy as he slid his teeth across his palm, drawing blood, while he used his other hand to grasp her jaw, opening her mouth and letting the good amount of blood drip above into Lily's mouth.

Too stunned to move or say anything, the doctor watched from the ground in stiffening horror.

Tulip's hands were on either side of Lily's face while she stood on the other side of the bed from Cassidy. The both of them leaned over her, holding their breath as they waited, but nothing happened. The flat line continued and Tulip looked up from Lily's face to the monitor, letting out a sob that she could no longer hold back, and Cassidy didn't have a single strand of restraint left in him. There was not one part of him that would like her die, not like this at least.

He glanced for a moment at Tulip, and it was as if she was able to read his mind, tears streamed down her face and her expression was practically begging him to do it, at least that's what he was telling himself.

He flashed his fangs and could've sworn the look in Tulip's eyes were suddenly more relieved. He looked down at Lily, lifeless, and her head tilted to the side, exposing her neck perfectly. He would be lying to himself if he said he wasn't looking forward to tasting so much of her blood guilt-free. He felt himself go from unnerved to excited in a split second. With a quick breath, he grasped her collar bone with eyes on her neck, his jaw widened as saliva dripped down from his mouth towards his target mark before he dove down towards it.

With impeccable timing, Lily opened her eyes and gasped. Though her eyes were wide, all she saw was white, jolting straight up and, little did she know, coming face to face with Cassidy, teeth bared as he backed away. Tulip watched Cassidy's face go from hard to flat, his hands moving from her collarbone area to grasping the sides of her shoulders as he studied her intently.

Lily gasped and gasped. The steady sound of flat line came to a stop, as a slow beep took over, her vision was coming back slowly, but it was mostly blurry colors. Cassidy's eyes flickered behind her to the sound of the heart rate monitor starting. It was slow, she felt her chest practically collapse as her heart struggled to start again - but after a few seconds, it was back to a high-paced beat. She scrunched her face, closing her eyes as she clenched her hands to her chest, the discomfort of the massive amount of adrenaline that just jump started her body becoming more obvious.

Before she was able to collapse backwards onto the bed, she felt Tulip wrap her arms around her. Cassidy backed as far away as possible, holding a hand up to his mouth as his stomach twisted at the complete switch of emotions he had to face.

For Lily, it was impossible to process what was happening as Tulip cried in her right ear, leaning her back on the bed as she grasped tightly onto her, "Don't you _ever_ do that again." She sobbed into her ear, "Damn it, Lily." She had no idea what any of it meant.

There was no pain, the adrenaline took over as she began losing consciousnesses. Before her eyes closed, they caught a glimpse of the doctor, paralyzed at the sight of whatever it was he'd just witnessed.

* * *

It had been a several hours since she'd lost consciousness again, and Lily hadn't moved from her spot sleeping in the bed. Tulip looked beat, but her spirit was much better, since all of Lily's vitals were normal and she clearly wasn't in pain anymore. She'd been at her side for almost an entire 24 hours. Tulip had decided it was time to go finally eat. Her appetite was back now that Lily was in better condition, and shower wouldn't feel bad either, leaving Cassidy alone in the room with Lily.

Not long after Tulip had left, Cassidy grabbed Lily's hand at her side and talked quietly to her. Her skin was warm compared to the stone cold it was several hours ago. The normal color in her skin was back and she had a glow to her. He studied her arms, no longer broken or bruised, and trailed his eyes up to her face, noticing her eyes move beneath their lids and her brow scrunched low very slowly.

He lifted his eyes as he stood up and placed his other hand on her face, "Hey," He said softly with a smile, watching her as she struggled to open her eyes. They barely squinted open, "Jesse?" Her hoarse voice squeaked. Cassidy's face dropped involuntarily, "No," He shook his head, rubbing her arm and moving his hand over her face, "No. It's Cassidy." He stated.

She groaned in confusion, sitting up as she reached up to rub her eyes only to have her hand caught on one of the few wires attached to her. Without hesitation, she yanked on it, "Don't-" Cassidy tried to warn her, but it was too late. She'd pulled off the heart rate monitor pad attached to her chest, the machine behind her flat lining loudly, immediately sending a jolt of discomfort through Cassidy as images of just a few hours prior flashed in his mind, "Uh-" He said, trying to shake the feeling, he turned to the monitor and pulled on the power cord, ripping it out of the monitor to stop the flat line sound.

When he turned back around to her, she was yanking on another thin tube attached to her, an IV drip that was attached at the top of her hand. "Nonono-" He scrambled forward, leaning over her to rip her hand away but she'd had a firm grasp already. When she ripped the IV needle out of her hand, blood immediately began squirting out. The aroma of her blood filled his sense of smell as he watched sequence of the squirts coming out of her hand as they matched to her heartbeat that he heard and felt so clearly.

Cassidy immediately slapped his hand over hers to stop the blood from spraying out. Suddenly everything was completely silent. She squirmed underneath him and, as disoriented as she was, didn't even realize what kind of dangerous position she was in.

Cassidy felt his mouth fill with saliva, he closed his eyes and held his breath. He felt the heat of the blood beneath his hand and the pulse pushing against his palm. He didn't dare breathe. One more whiff of the scent and she'd likely be dead. Thankfully, the bedroom door opened quickly and in filed the doctor, who must've heard the commotion, as he walked briskly to Lily's side, fixing her hand and allowing Cassidy to rush to the washroom to wash up, and more importantly, get space.

With forceful annoyance, he slammed the tap on and reached his hands towards the stream of water in the sink - but, he couldn't bare to rinse them yet, they froze before the water touched them. He couldn't help the compulsion.

He lifted his hand up to his face and breathed in deep, his lungs expanding to full capacity as they filled with the rich, sweet scent. Staring at the glassy, warm blood on his hand as it dripped slowly down to his forearm, it practically glistened for him. His heart had already been set just hours ago that he was going to finally get a full blown dose of it, what would a little taste hurt? He couldn't resist licking it, just once, and before he could continue his reflection in the mirror caught his eye - he looked like a complete monster.

With a groan, he shook his head, not sure why he would've done that, as if he enjoyed torturing himself. He grabbed the white bar of soap, lathering his hands viciously and throwing it back by the sink, a pink tinge now to it.

Splashing water on his face in attempts to cool himself down he breathed deep, leaning his hands on the counter as he looked back to the mirror, a shameful stare looking back at him as he finally looked away, grabbing a nearby, perfectly folded, designer towel and rubbing his face into it.

When he got out of the washroom, he sniffed, rubbing his nose and trying not to think about how weak and pathetic he'd just been. Lily was sitting up, obviously a lot more with it since she was listening to the doctor report to her. Her eyes were hard and though she saw Cassidy in her peripheral, she didn't glance away from the doctor. Cassidy made himself comfortable, as if he hadn't just disturbed himself the way he just did, by sitting on the arm chair at her side.

"You've been stable and back to normal the past few hours. And quite honestly, I couldn't tell you why." The doctor said bluntly, "It's far beyond my experience and knowledge, and to be quite frank, I don't want it to be within it." He said coldly, referring to the demented spectacle he'd witnessed just hours before.

Lily blinked, nodding as she swallowed, "I understand." Her raspy voice said, watching as the doctor walked out of the room, certain that was the last she would ever see of him.

"Where's Tulip?" She asked, looking to Cassidy finally, "She just went t'go talk t'her friend. An older fellow. His house." He said shortly, feeling a bit sheepish. "Hm." Lily nodded, moving her legs over the side of the bed as she stood up. Cassidy lifted his eyes up to her, "Wot are y'doin?" He grabbed her arms as if to support her. "I'm fine." She said as if _he_ was the crazy one, pulling away as he watched her walk, in such perfect health that she even had a skip in her step, "I need a shower."

He was conflicted, obviously relieved she was in much better shape, but so troubled on the obvious fact that her reaction to his blood was a lot more than an easy way to heal and stimulate her - her body now seemed to physically rely on it.

* * *

When Lily got out of the shower, she walked back into the bedroom, a towel wrapped around her body and another around her hair. Cassidy still sat in the chair by the bed, except now, he was joined by Tulip, who ran up to Lily and hugged her, squeezing her tight. "Don't you **ever** do that to me again." Tulip said, "You bitch." She added, squeezing her even harder.

Lily couldn't help but laugh, "Ok," She said with a clenched voice, "You're crushing me." Tulip pulled back, holding Lily by the shoulders, "I'm serious." She looked at Lily, traumatized and doe-eyed. Lily scrunched her brow and smiled, "Tulip. I'm fine. Don't worry."

"Stop sayin' that!" Tulip's tone went from soft to hard in a split second, "You are _so_ **not** fine!" She smacked her shoulder, "Your bones started breakin', Lil!" Tulip stood in front of her with her arms crossed, "Christ. You _died_." She tilted her head and widened her eyes even more at her. As she pressed her lips together, Lily nodded, as Tulip continued, "You two _clearly_ didn't listen to what I said back in Annville." She said, turning her stare to Cassidy.

"I told you two," She pointed her finger at Cassidy, "After the first time somethin' like this happened and you ended up at my uncles place, the both of ya acting like damn fools, to _figure your shit out._ " Tulip moved her finger from Cassidy's direction to Lily.

With a quick breath in, Lily was ready to defend Tulip's attack, but was quickly interrupted by Tulip, who poked her in the chest.

 _poke_ "Not."

 _poke_ "Make"

 _poke_ "Things"

 ** _poke_** " _More_ fucked up!" She jabbed her hard for the last one. Lily winced, grabbing her chest, "Fuck!"

"I mean, Jesus," Tulip went on, ignoring Lilys whining, her voice getting even more fired up, "You _knew_ back in Annville when you ran to my place how much that shit fucked you up. What were you _thinkin_ ' takin' that much of his blood back in Willingdon!?" She scolded, "That's what did this, right?!" Tulip asked, holding her arms out as she looked back and forth from Lily to Cassidy, who both shrugged a shoulder. Tulip dipped her head down, raised her eyebrows and looked with wide eyes at Cassidy, waiting for him to spit something out.

"I don't know." Cassidy said lowly, his eyes shameful, "Jus' as much a mystery t'me as it'is t'yew, Tulip."

Tulip's arms slapped down to her sides, "Great. Jesus." She swung her head, "You two need to work together to make sure _that_ shit" She pointed her weapon-of-a-finger towards the bed Lily had been laying on, "Doesn't happen _ever_ again. Got it?"

"Yes, _m'am_." Lily said boldly, unable to refrain from grinning at Tulip acting like a total drill sergeant to the both of them. Tulip's head snapped toward her, unable to keep her face straight either as she moved her arms out to push Lily, who flinched away from her before she could poke or push her any more.

"I'm serious, Lil." Tulip snatched her arm, yanking her close to her, "I'm happy you're feelin' back to normal and wanna make jokes and all that, but just hours ago-" She felt the same lump in her throat that'd been there all day. Lily's brow dropped, "I _know_ , Tulip." She said softly, "Figure our shit out. Never happen again. Got it." Lily's eyes were bright and she raised her brows confidently at her.

The words between them were getting quieter and quieter.

"If something like this happens again," With a deep breath Tulip paused, furrowing her brow, "I won't have any choice but to bring Jesse into it." Lily's face was stone and so was Tulips. Threatening to bring Jesse into something was one of the heaviest kicks to the gut. It meant Tulip wasn't fucking around. Lily nodded respectfully.

Tulip let go of her arm and sighed, "Speaking of 'figure shit out', I gotta do some of that for myself. I'll meet ya guys back at the apartment..." With her eyes low she rolled her head back to Lily, "Do I have to say it?" She groveled, raising her brow at Lily, who read her mind, "Don't tell Jess," Lily said quickly before going on, "Ya, obviously. What's going on?" She pried, following Tulip to the bedroom door, "Anything _I_ can help with? Return the favor of taking such good care of me? Saving my life, all that?" Lily said nonchalantly with a smirk.

With the doorway open between them, Tulip shifted her eyes from down the hall back at Lily, "No," Tulip huffed, "I gotta take care of this myself." She nodded at the ground, "Besides," She lifted her head up again and lowered her eyes at Lily, her voice was quiet and soft, but it had a distinct bite to each word she articulated, "I'm not the one you should be thanking for all _that_."

Keeping her eyes glued to Lily's, Tulip turned to walk down the hallway, finally pulling her eyes away, leaving Lily with the feeling of Cassidy's eyes burning into the back of her.


	42. Bitter

On their way out of the luxurious mansion, Cassidy had a bad feeling stuck in his gut. He stared at each set of eyes of the many off-putting individuals scattered around the property as they ventured towards the front door, "Eh-" He said lowly in Lily's ear, "I think we should stay back and wait fer Tulip." Lily flickered her eyes, smiling at a stranger as they walked by them, down the beautiful stair case and towards the large, regal front doors. "She said she's _fine_ , and that she'd meet us later." She matched his low tone, "What language does someone need to speak to you to get through to you the first time?" She said bitterly as she smiled sweetly at another stranger that held the front door open for them.

As they walked out the front, Cassidy covered up, hunching under his jacket, slinking through the shadows of the trees as Lily marched on the concrete path towards the street. It didn't take more than a minute for Lily to wave down a taxi as it drove by. The ride back to the apartment was silent other than the taxi's radio.

When they got back up to Dennis' place, Jesse was sitting at the kitchen table, looking at the morning's newspaper. He raised his head a bit, but his eyes stayed on the paper on the table, placing his cup of coffee down. Lily smiled, "Morning." Her eyes were bright as she ripped off her sunglasses. Jesse cleared his throat, "Morning." His eyes still didn't waver from the newspaper..

"We got a decent pay out last night." Lily said casually, opening the fridge to get out the cream, walking to the counter on the other side of the kitchen to pour herself a coffee. "Mhm." Jesse said, still staring at the paper.

Cassidy's face twisted a bit, his sunglasses still on as he was standing awkwardly against the counter beside the fridge, staring back and forth between Jesse and Lily as they exchanged words.

"Yep," Lily said, her back was to the kitchen table as she poured cream into her mug, "What did you get up to last night?" She asked, "Any luck with God?" Jesse sighed, rubbing his face, "No." He grumbled, "But I'm gonna get back out there and keep at it." He said, raising his coffee to his mouth again, finally lifting his eyes from the paper up to Lily, "Wanna come with?" In a slow manner with her cup of coffee to her mouth, she turned to him. Looking up to the corner ceiling of the kitchen and nodding, her lips pursed, "Sure." She shrugged, looking back to him, "Why not."

"Great," Jesse said, lifting the paper up again, "The more help the better. Better start soon. Somethin' tells me we won't have such good luck anytime after around midnight. By that time, the people down there are far too wasted. Last night I got into more bar fights in an hour than I had in Annville the past coupla years..."

"Hmph." Lily laughed, swallowing a mouthful of coffee, "Sounds like fun." She said sarcastically. "I'll go get ready to go then." Lily said, walking past where Jesse sat at the kitchen table and heading down the hallway. When she got to the bedroom, her purse, crammed with cash, was sitting on the bed. When she'd left the hotel out the bathroom window the night before, it wasn't the least of her worries, but now, it was a relief to see it made it back.

She huffed, turning to look at the open bedroom door for a moment, expecting Cassidy to be breathing over her shoulder, but he wasn't. With a swift swipe, she snagged her purse and ripped it open, grabbing a couple small piles of the cash and putting it into another purse, stashing the remaining cash under the bed mattress before getting changed.

In the meantime, Cassidy was still in the kitchen, staring at Jesse, unable to believe he could just be so relaxed. With Tulip no where to be seen, it was odd to Cassidy that his first question wasn't of her whereabouts.

The second Cassidy had seen the hotel window open and Lily gone, he was searching high and low for her. Tulip had let him know pretty quickly that she was safe with her, but it hadn't made him feel any better. He'd kept bothering Tulip until finally she'd told him were they were. Yet, now, Jesse sat, drinking his morning coffee and reading the news, his feet up and not a care for where Tulip was in the world.

Cassidy racked his brain, staring at Jesse, comparing how polar opposite they were in this particular circumstance.

Jesse caught Cassidy's stare, "What?" He asked. With a pain in his stomach, Cassidy shook his head at the ground with his eyebrows lifted over his shades, "Nothin'.." He lied, walking towards the living room. Dennis was no where to be seen, not even in his bedroom. Cassidy figured he must have stepped out. It was almost noon, likely he went out to grab something to eat.

His eye caught Dennis' various belongings scattered around the living room, his mind wandering to the topic of his son. Cassidy had been more than absent in his life, he'd abandoned him completely. As Cassidy's eyes studied Dennis' belongings, he wondered what kind of life he had lived and how much he really missed in this chapter of his life. Soon, Cassidy's mind transitioned to the conversations he'd had with Tulip the past day - who'd told him everything about the doctor, about Lily's worry of being pregnant, about the fact she was going to have the doctor terminate the pregnancy if she _was_ pregnant - it was all very unsettling.

He knew he shouldn't have dropped the fact that Dennis was his son so casually, admitting to himself he could have definitely handled it in a more delicate manner - but at that time, he was caught in a bad moment and needed something to divert his mind. He wasn't expecting her to jump out a window of a four story building over it.

With his mind being pulled out of the roller coaster of thoughts, the corner of his eye caught the blur of Lily walking past the arched doorway between the kitchen and the living room back towards the front door area. A heavy huff escaped Cassidy as he dragged his eyes from Dennis' clutter of belongings as he made his way back to the kitchen, meeting Lily and Jesse again.

"Ready to go?" Lily asked Jesse, who looked up from the newspaper, finishing off his cup of coffee, "Yep." He stood up, the wooden chair screeching against the creaky floor. With one swift movement, Jesse threw his jacket over his shoulders, adjusting his collar as Cassidy caught his eye, "Comin', Cass?" He asked.

Lily's eyes flickered to his. "Yea," Cassidy said, catching Lily's eyes for a split second before she turned, the three of them filing out the door to find God.

* * *

The three of them had been to a couple dozen jazz bars and clubs nearby the apartment area already with no such luck at finding _anything_ to do with God. Jesse's patience was strong, which amazed Lily, but she was already frustrated. It felt like a dead end to begin with, she was wondering how he saw any hope in this so-called lead. It made her feel like they were blind.

"How many jazz clubs do you think there are around here?" Lily asked Jesse as she walked at his side down, yet another, road. Cassidy stuck beside them, closer to the building edges, careful to stay out of the direct sun.

"Mmm." Jesse squinted thoughtfully behind his sunglasses, "Probably a couple hundred." "Really?" Lily asked, "No way." She stated as she took out her phone, Jesse laughed, side eyeing her phone in her hand.

"What?" She asked.

Jesse had a grin on as he shook his head, "What's with you and needin to Google every damn thing?"

Lily flashed her eyes at him over her sunglasses frames, her heels clicking on the sidewalk as they walked in their steady pace, "I **don't** _need to Google every damn thing._ " She mocked him in her low-Jesse-voice-tone, "It's just useful at times." She shrugged one shoulder, looking back at her phone screen. "Hm." Jesse hummed with a smile, clearly not buying her excuse. "Look," Lily said, holding her phone in front of his face, "Says here the top ten jazz clubs in town are no where _near_ where we are right now." Jesse dipped his head down curiously, letting his eyes see above his sunglasses frames, "Lemme see that." They kept walking as his hand raised to Lily's phone, grabbing it and pulling it closer to him, Lily kept her hand in firm grip on her phone underneath his grasp.

Cassidy watched as Jesse and Lily walked in perfect sync just a bit ahead of him, a sight that left him with the twisted feeling of envy as it struck him like a kick to his gut.

"Huh." Jesse said, showing he was at least somewhat impressed, "How'd ya find that so quick?" He moved his hand off of hers that was on her phone as she lowered her phone back in front of her, "It's amazing the things you can do when you're not stuck with a prehistoric flip phone." She teased, raising her brow to him. Jesse shook his head to the side with a smile before crossing his arms, "What makes you think he'd be in one of those and not in one around here?" He asked, "The internet can't answer everything you type into it."

Lily sighed, "It's the _best_ proclaimed jazz clubs in New Orleans, Jesse. I mean, think about it." Her eyes lifted from her phone screen with her one brow arched, "Wouldn't _you_ be at the best of the best jazz clubs if that was your kind of thing and you were _God_?" She leaned her head at him. Jesse scrunched his nose and smiled, glancing around them for a moment, "Yea, I guess you're right."

With satisfaction of that sentence, Lily grinned, before lifting her phone to her ear, stopping them in their steady tracked. The local cab company was on the other end of her phone. "Ya," She said into her phone, looking above them to where the nearest street sign was, "Can I get a taxi to... Cartier and..." She peered around trying to see what the cross road was around the corner, "Lark." She said, "Ya. Ok thanks."

Jesse turned his head toward Lily, "A cab? We can't walk? It's a beautiful day." In unison, Jesse and Cassidy lit themselves a cigarette each. Lily was staring at her phone, but she still laughed, shaking her head, "It's hot as Hell. I'm not walking 20 blocks." "Well _maybe_ you should've worn some different shoes." Jesse said as-a-matter-of-fact-ly with his smoke in his mouth, pointing a stern finger at her high heeled boots that sparkled. "It's not about the shoes." Lily said flatly, unaffected by his criticism as she continued on her phone, "Besides," She looked up from her screen and leaned towards Jesse, taking his cigarette from between his fingers as she stole a drag, "I want to look my best when we meet the Almighty Creator." She inhaled from the cigarette between her lips, "Mm!" She lifted her brows, moving the smoke out of her mouth, " _And_ , these boots also double as a great thing to kick him in the nuts if need be." She clicked her heels together a couple of times and grinned confidently with her chin up, catching Jesse's smirk before his eyes wandered behind the two of them. Lily followed his eyesight to where Cassidy stood against a wall.

"Where'd you get your hands on a coat like that, Cassidy?" Jesse asked with his smirk still wide, "Looks like you're about to solve the world's largest mystery." The coat Cassidy wore was an awful tan color and trench style. It looked like it was made from leather and the large collars were popped up to better cover his skin.

"Found it in Dennis' closet." He said shortly, puffing on his smoke. There was only a couple seconds of stale silence before Jesse took a breath in, "You've been awfully quiet, Cass." He pointed out, turning all the way around towards the wall that Cassidy leaned against, "Everythin' alright?" Lily took another long drag from Jesse's cigarette she'd stolen as she stared at Cassidy with Jesse.

From the top of the frames of his sunglasses, Lily saw his eyes move from her to Jesse. "Ya." He groveled, flicking the ash off the end of his smoke as he leaned his foot up on the wall behind him.

"Here," Lily said, moving the attention from Cassidy as she held the cigarette back to Jesse. He groaned, taking the smoke from Lily and scrunching his brow at the lipstick that coated the filter, " _Really_?" He pointed, dragging from the cigarette as he wiped his mouth, "What's your deal with this sticky, sparkly shit?" Jesse asked, picking it off his lips.

"Hmph." Lily laughed, crossing her arms, "Calm down." She said back to Jesse, happy to ignore Cassidy's grovelling and move on as Jesse just did. Attention was what he wanted and she knew it. Luckily, Jesse only had finding God as top priority, so he didn't pry Cassidy any more.

Cassidy felt a combination of emotions brewing in him. It'd taken hours for Jesse to finally acknowledge Cassidy was being oddly quiet, and even then, he'd just dropped it right after. With another long drag of his cigarette, Cassidy stared in front of him at the two Custer's, who'd been getting along famously all afternoon. With all things considered, he knew he should be happy, but instead he felt bitter.


	43. Center of Attention

When Jesse kicked open the door to walk back outside from the club they were leaving, it was dark outside, which meant they'd been going at this whole jazz-bar-God-hunt thing for far too long now.

Cassidy and Lily followed close behind Jesse as he barreled angrily out towards the street corner from the club they'd just left. Cassidy leaned against the street light pole and lit a cigarette as he watched with entertainment as Jesse had his first spaz.

"I mean _come on_." Jesse said between clenched teeth as his patience was finally beginning to wear thin, "If I have one more person laugh in my face like _that_ -" He pointed a stern finger towards the club behind them, "I am-" "Okay-" Lily said calmly in the tone of we-get-it-now-simmer-down, closing her eyes and placing her hands on his shoulders, "I know. That guy was a reeeal asshole to you." She said sympathetically, but she was interrupted by Jesse, who kept going as if she wasn't even talking, "I mean seriously. Who do these people think they are?"

Lily knew when he was in this kind of mood, it was best to let him ride it out. She turned from him as he kept ranting, walking to where Cassidy stood with her eyes rolling. Her back was to Jesse as she walked up to Cassidy, reaching to his hand on his side to snag his cigarette from him.

He stared at Jesse behind her for a moment, in his own world of fury as he ranted to himself, then focused his eyes in front of him right at her as she caught his eyes, "No, it's alright." Cassidy said nonchalantly as his eyes fixed themselves on the smoke in her mouth, "Wasn't smokin' that anyway. Lit it _jus_ ' fer yew." He said sourly. She took a long drag from the smoke, keeping it in her lungs and holding her breath to take a moment to decompress.

It was the most he'd said to her all day and it was entirely passive aggressive. She did her best to ignore it and not give in - but it was useless, her patience was wearing thin on his cold shoulder he'd put out for them all day. She decided to confront him. Her brow narrowed as she exhaled a trail of smoke from her mouth, "What exactly _is_ **your** problem? Why on earth would **_you_ ** be the one with the shitty attitude?"

He caught her not-so-subtle play of the victim card move his tone was suddenly more aggressive, "This has _nothin_ ' t'do wit yew." He pointed a stern finger at her. She knew he'd meant his concern for Tulip. Lily carefully glanced over her shoulder to Jesse, thankful to see him still distracted by his flip phone and a cigarette as his foot tapped furiously.

When she turned back to Cassidy she sighed, his face and tone of voice were both flat, "Yer not even a little bit of ye is worried about 'er?" "No." Lily said simply, lifting her brow to him, "She's probably back at the apartment right now." She lifted the cigarette to her mouth again, her eyes shifting to Jesse, Cassidy nodded halfheartedly, "Maybe." He mumbled, "Or maybe she's bein' murdered right now as we speak." He said morbidly. "Tulip getting murdered?" She mumbled back quietly to him as she looked up to his face and laughed. Her brows were scrunched, "Please." Lily looked towards Jesse again, "If anything, _she's_ doing the murdering _as we speak_." She mocked his words.

Lily watched Jesse march back towards them as she elbowed Cassidy in the ribs in efforts to shut him up, lifting her hand with the cigarette she stole from him up to his face. He took it back from her with his eyes on Jesse.

"I'm out here," Jesse continued ranting to the both of them, his face red with frustration, "Just tryin' to find God. _No big deal._ " He said sarcastically, "Cause that son of a bitch is _missin_ ', and he's out here somewhere!" His arms were spread wide now, " Yet, I have people practically spittin' in my face just for asking the simple _fucking_ question of where He is!" He bellowed.

A few people on the streets turned to see what the commotion was about. Lily looked around slightly to notice the eyes, Cassidy noticed her eyes searching around and followed them, noting the spectacle Jesse was putting on was attracting some attention.

Her lips curled into a smile and she couldn't help but laugh. Jesse's eyes moved lowly to her, "What?" He hissed. Lily exhaled, "It's just- between you screaming about finding God and standing on the street corner like that - you look like one of those religious crazies you see living on the streets screaming about the end of the world."

From behind her she heard Cassidy struggle to stifle a snicker, "You do, actually." He added. Jesse shook his head, strutting past them, "Let's get on with it."

* * *

They'd made their way across town and gone to only five out of ten of the so claimed 'Best Jazz Clubs in New Orleans' in the past few hours. It was nearly midnight and time was running short, with still no type of lead. Their next stop lead them to their first seemingly lead.

"God?" A stranger asked, "Yea, I know where God is." Jesse turned his head skeptically the same time Lily narrowed her eyes and Cassidy scrunched his brow. "You do?" Jesse asked. The man nodded, "Follow me."

They were lead out of the bar and into the back staff-only area, eventually leading them to what looked to be a dominatrix sex set up. Jesse and Lily's eyes flickered to each other in discomfort as Cassidy let out a cackle, "Wot th'Hell is this?!"

They stared at the sight in front of them - dressed in a skin tight dalmatian suit and tied up in a submissive pose was a man, not saying anything or moving a muscle. His eyes were peering through the dalmatian mask over his face. The surrounding people just stared at Jesse, Lily and Cassidy. Lily looked to Jesse, who's face was stiff and beginning to get a little red.

It took every ounce of energy for Jesse not to knock the Hell out of everyone in the room for wasting their time and making such a joke of something so serious. No one they'd crossed paths with had helped them. Having everyone mock him was beginning to get on Jesse's nerves.

He turned, storming out of the bar as Lily followed close behind, Cassidy as well, but not without another glance at the absurd set up first.

* * *

It was hardly a blink of an eye before they were standing in the middle of the next bar on the list.

With patience long gone, Lily was beginning to get frustrated, and Jesse was showing that his patience was beginning to wear away, yet very slowly. Leaning against the bar beside Jesse, Lily stared at him as he questioned yet another person. He was really serious about this whole thing. He hadn't raised a drop of alcohol to his mouth and Lily was beyond surprised he had so much restraint and patience in him still, regardless of it wearing so thin.

From the corner of the bar, Lily's eye was caught by Cassidy who was, for the fourth time the past couple hours, talking to a sketchy looking stranger and making a painfully obvious and shady trade. Lily watched as another stack of bills slipped from Cassidy to the stranger who in return handed him something back. Lily couldn't begin to imagine what Cassidy was getting himself into, but she didn't want anything to do with it.

Once again, Cassidy stepped into the washroom. Lily made sure her eyes were on Jesse again, ensuring Cassidy didn't know his desperate actions were being noticed.

Lily knew Cassidy's cold shoulder and silence was just trying to entice her to pry at him, and she'd been doing a great job all day at ignoring his self-pity party, but it was getting hard now with him so obviously trying to trigger her to step into a confrontation with him.

What was especially hard was her realization that it'd been over twelve hours since they'd left the mansion and she was already feeling sore. She extended her fingers in her hand, noticing the stiffness. Her mind raced as she zoned out on Jesse in front of her, his words muffling as she got lost in her train of thought.

Another half hour had gone by and Lily followed Jesse as he talked to almost everyone in the club. "Thanks for nothin'." Jesse said, turning away from their last victim of interrogation. With a deep sigh, Jesse hooked his hands on his hips, staring around the club, "Think that's everyone here." Lily nodded, finishing the liquid in her glass as she smacked it onto the bar as exhaustion was beginning to consume her.

"Does that mean we're off our shift of God-hunting-duty and can finally go home and indulge in some good wine together?" She asked. Jesse's eyes shifted to the ground as he leaned against the bar. He bobbed his head as his wide eyes started flat at the ground, "I'll tell you this much - not gonna be wine for me." His face and words were flat as he zoned out on the floor, and Lily's heart actually broke a little at the sight of how suddenly deflated he was after being so optimistic all day. He raised his head to the bartender, "I'll take a double shot of whiskey." A sentence from him that lifted her spirits a little bit at least, after a day like today it was the least he deserved.

Lily stayed leaning against the bar beside Jesse, taking a moment to look around the crowd quickly before taking out her phone, nearby she heard Cassidy's cackle. As if she had no restraint, she looked up toward it, seeing him practically vibrating with energy, talking with a few strangers as if they were long time pals.

"Fucking asshole." Lily murmured. "What?" Jesse asked, his arms leaning on the bar ledge as he hunched glumly, his energy suddenly much heavier. "Just... Cassidy." She lowered her eyes at him with her arms crossed as her back leaned against the bar ledge. She stood beside him as he sat on a stool. The both of them watched the bartender pour Jesse a glass of whiskey. "What'd he do?" Jesse asked half defensively, "Nothing." She said shortly, shrugging one shoulder, "He's just an asshole." Their eyes both didn't move from the stream of whiskey being poured out of the bottle. "Fair enough." Jesse stated. Finally, the bartender slid the glass to Jesse's hand. Before could bring the glass up to his lips, a man on the other side of him nudged him, "Hey." His low voice bellowed loudly.

Lily scrunched her brow in irritation and leaned over the bar to get a glimpse of the man, no older than Jesse, but about three times fatter. "You just about done here? I gotta friend who wouldn't mind that spot you've been sittin' at." The man yelled in annoyance. " _Excuse_ **me**?!" Lily yelled back with zero filter of how irritated she was, "No!" Her eyes were crazy, "We're not _just about done here_. In fact, we just started!" She threw her hand out to Jesse's untouched glass of whiskey. "Too bad," The man groaned, "I know we'd all love to hear you shut the fuck up about your hard-on for God, already."

The surrounding chatter of people quieted a bit, a few of them snickered, but practically all eyes were looking towards Jesse and Lily to see what the fuss was about. Cassidy's eyes caught the center of attention immediately.

Jesse had only his head turned, staring at the large man at his side with dark eyes, and Lily was leaning over the bar in front of Jesse giving the man a look of dead serious irritation. The two of them put together in size were still smaller than he was by himself, but size wasn't an issue for the Custers. Cassidy knew they'd be fine - but he still wanted in on whatever kind of altercation they were getting into. He weaved his way towards the two of them quickly.

Seeing and feeling Jesse's mood change made blood run cold through Lily as her eyes went to low to man before they shifted to watch Jesse as he gently put down the glass before any whiskey touched his lips. He turned in a painfully slow fashion towards the man, and lifted his chin, "That so?" Jesse asked in a smooth tone that Lily recognized to be the calm before the storm, "Jesse." Lily whispered, tugging on his jacket, "Let's just go."

Cassidy looked over her to Jesse and the stranger who'd antagonized him. The man shook his head, turning to face forward with a cocky smirk on his lips as he drank from his beer bottle.

The man stared at the TV, as if he couldn't pay any attention to Jesse, "Ever hear the joke about the priest walkin' into a bar?" He laughed to himself, drinking from his beer again. Jesse took a deep breath, Lily watched him intently as he stayed still, and Lily couldn't help but hold her breath.

With a strong grasp, Cassidy grabbed on her arm, "Wot's goin' on!?" He asked loudly, his spirit like that of a tornado. Lily turned and looked up at him quick, using her hand to push his chest back, desperate to keep Cassidy's energy as far from Jesse's as possible, before she turned her head back towards her brother, "Jesse." Lily hissed more aggressively, trying her best to push Cassidy away, his feisty energy ruining the only hopes she had to keep Jesse calm, "Lets. Go." She said slower.

The stranger leaned over the bar, getting a better look at Cassidy, "Is that an _Scottish_ accent?" The man cackled. Lily's face dropped, feeling hopeless. Between the tensity of Jesse and the energy of Cassidy, she was having difficulty juggling all of the emotions. It was beginning to look impossible to diffuse the situation. The man laughed, "Oh, Jesus Fuck. I have a _better_ joke for you then, _father_." He said mockingly, drinking again from his bottle as he put it down in his hand to his right, he turned to the three of them, all standing in a close lump, and looked at Jesse with snaky eyes, "A priest," He pointed to him with his free hand "A Scottish man," He pointed to Cassidy, "And a whore" He pointed at Lily, "Walk into a bar-"

And before he could finish another word, Jesse had already stood up from the bar stool he had been sitting on and slammed the mans head onto the bar ledge, not before ensuring the mans mouth had been lined up perfectly above the beer bottle in his hand on the bar, forcing him to partake in a vicious deep throat as the beer bottle lodged itself in his throat.

Lily jumped at the sound of the mans head slamming down in front of her, flinching as Cassidy practically flew over her to get his share of the beating. She watched the blur of chaos, knowing there was nothing she could do.

Jesse's face was hard and he sat back on the stood and stayed still as his eyes followed Cassidy, who reefed the man back, throwing him with full strength onto the ground behind them, winding him incredibly as if the amount of force burst his lungs on impact with the ground.

Other than the background noise of the televisions and music, the bar was silent as everyone watched in a frozen state. Lily, Jesse and Cassidy all looked down at the man. Eventually, he made many unsettling gurgling noises, struggling to catch his breath through his nose as his eyes bugged out of his skull. With his face turning purple, the bottom of the glass beer bottle stuck out of his mouth.

Lily watched Jesse as he turned to the bar, grabbing his glass of whiskey and finally getting a taste of it as he downed it all before turning back at to Cassidy. He leaned above the man and Lily's heart raced, watching him intently.

"You," Cassidy waved his finger down at the man as he paced to the other side of him, his one hand on his hip as if to scold him. He wore a grin, but his eyes were very hard. It was difficult to gauge what his motive was. His tone of voice was a low rasp, "You should really get yer senses checked out, read a book or somethin', Christ, I don't even _know_ if someone as big a gobshite as you could find a book to cure that kind of stupidity, y'bloody bastard of'a plank." Cassidy's shoulders wavered, "Hmph." He laughed at himself as he looked down at the man, who's eyes stared up at Cassidy wide.

Jesse would be lying to say he wasn't getting some kind of demented satisfaction out of watching Cassidy play with his prey.

Cassidy took a breath in as he continued, "Y'know, I can see how ye might get a preacher n'a priest confused." He threw a finger out to Jesse, "He's a preacher, not a priest - but I'll forgive that." He said with a little more bite to his tone, as he leaned closer to the mans face, his grin fading fast, "T'confuse an Irish accent with a _Scottish_?" He whined, his face twisting in disgust, " _That_ **is** pretty bad."

He was really close to the man's face now, "But not the _worst_ mistake. No." He growled in his ear, each word getting quieter and slower, "The _**worst**_ mistake would be to label that beautiful flower there-" He pointed a finger softly towards where Lily stood beside Jesse, "Somethin' like wot word it was that jus'came outta yer filthy, shite stained cake-hole a few seconds ago." His tone sent a shiver through those who witnessed this gruesome display of so-called justice. Lily wondered as Cassidy stared at the man eye to eye, lingering above him, what he was about to do. Was he crazy enough to rip this man apart in front of everyone? She wasn't sure.

Thankfully, Cassidy didn't dive down to his neck. Instead, he said softly, "So y'jus be a good lad now, n'watch th'way y'use yer words. Can I trust ye'll do that?" The man had tears rolling down his purple face as nodded as much as he could. Cassidy grinned wide and slapped his fat face a few times, "Atta lad."

And with that, Cassidy stood straight up and his head turned to Jesse, "Anythin' t'add, padre?" He asked loudly, his arms waving out to the man. The crowd of people moved their heads to Jesse, who shook his head and smirked, "Think ya pretty much covered it all, Cass."

Cassidy nodded, before he looked back down to the man. It was only a second of silence before he lifted his boot and slammed it into the mans gut, causing the glass bottle to shoot out of his mouth to which he let out a gut wrenching scream of agony as it shot out of his throat like a tennis ball launcher. As the man was hacking, desperate to catch his breath, Cassidy snatched the beer bottle from the air and let the beer from inside it dump down on the mans face before he turned towards Lily and Jesse, walking between them as he slammed the empty glass bottle onto the bar.

His wild, playful eyes stared at the bartender, "Our man down there's gonna need another one of these." With a grin, Cassidy spun around, his eyes at the man who squirmed on the ground in pain before he threw his arms around Jesse and Lily on either side of him, squeezing them in, flashing his teeth with a mischievous grin as he looked back and forth from the both of them, Cassidy's cackle and the man's heaves the only sounds in the whole bar, "On to the next one, then?!"


	44. This is God

"Oh, yaaaa.." Lily sang sarcastically as she poured herself another glass of wine at the counter of the apartment's kitchen, "My knights in shining armor." Her face was scrunched with a mocking manner spread across it. Cassidy sat sideways beside the kitchen table, his legs crossed on top of it. With a whiskey bottle in his mouth, he hummed at Lily's snide words, waving a finger in the air as he ripped the head of the bottle from the suction of his lips, "We are!" He proclaimed, his brows arched above the sunglasses on his face while he threw an arm out to Jesse sitting across from him at the table, "That guy was a real arsehole! He deserved every bit'o that!" Jesse laughed, picking at the label on the beer bottle in his hand.

The living room area beside them was lit up with only the harsh flash of the outdated television. Not far from the TV sat Dennis, passed out in the arm chair, who's program he'd been watching must've been over hours ago, because all the sound that pumped out of the TV was from late night infomercials.

Lily huffed as she stared at her phone before placing it on the kitchen table Jesse and Cassidy sat at, " _Please_." She leaned against the table, "The guy was a total loser. Should've just ignore him. But no-" She took a quick sip of wine before she narrowed her brow, "You-" She waved her glass towards Cassidy, one of her fingers wrapped around the glass pointed out sternly to him, "Are high. Which is why, Cassidy, _you_ felt the idiotic need to pour your drug-high gasoline all over the fire of Jesse's temper. You couldn't just ignore him; you were banking on a fight."

"Wot!?" Cassidy yelled defensively as he sat up straighter, "That is _not_ true." His eyes were wide. "Yes it is!" Lily countered immediately, "Don't play stupid. I saw you making shady exchanges with greasy people all damn night." "No, no, _noooo_." Cassidy sang as he closed his eyes and shook his head, waving his bottle in unison. He lifted his head and eyes up at her again, " _That_ ," He said, pointing his bottle at her," _Is_ true. I was high an'still am pretty wired." He laughed, still waving a finger in the air, "In fact, I'm 90 percent certain that cocaine I got was laced heavily wit meth, cos it burned like shite goin' in n'I felt it hit me pretty well right away." He cackled, as Lily rolled her eyes and drank a big gulp from her glass, "Wot I _meant_ was," Cassidy continued, "I wasn't tryin' t'fuel a fire like y'say I was. I was tryin' t'defend two people I care deeply about." He whined soft and innocently as he drank from his bottle again, holding a hand out to Jesse and Lily.

"Ya." Lily scoffed, nodding as she stared at her glass of red wine, "Alright." Her eyes were low as she glared from Cassidy to Jesse, "And you." She said, pointing at Jesse, "You couldn't help but give in to Cassidy's fuel cause you were at your wits end with the whole 'patience' thing." Jesse scrunched his brow, "Whatd'ya mean?" "Come _on_ , Jess." Lily smiled, "You're the least patient person I know, and all day today, it _killed_ you to be so patient."

"Ha!" Jesse laughed mockingly, raising his beer bottle to his mouth. "Admit it!" Lily demanded playfully. "That's not true." Jesse said with his bottle to his lips. Lily raised her brow, "Oh!?" She said incredibly, leaning closer to him over the table, "It's not!?" Jesse shook his head with his bottle still in his mouth. Lily's smile dropped a little as lifted her head up in an accusing way, "What about the Salamanca brothers heist? You remember _that_?" She asked. Jesse huffed, placing his bottle on the table as he looked up at her with his chin up defensively, "That was a special circumstance." "HA!" Lily laughed loudly, " _Special circumstance_?!" "Yep." Jesse said simply, his smirk unable to hide itself.

Lily dropped her jaw, "You losing your patience and bombarding into somewhere we're staking out and turning it into a total bloodbath instead of waiting for a proper, strategic opportunity that we've calculated beforehand to enter undetected is a _special circumstance_?"

"That's right." Jesse said confidently to her long-winded accusation. "So," Lily asked clearing her throat, her brow narrow as she pretended to have to think, "The time you did the _exact_ same thing with that B&E we did at that drug lord's home in Miami? And the pickup we did for the Ehrmantraut crew in Memphis- _those_ were **also** special circumstances?"His face was as straight as hers was, and she would've fallen on it if she leaned any closer to him.

Jesse nodded, silence in the air before he raised his eyebrows at her, "Yea."

In an instant, Lily's straight face made a switch, lighting up as she burst out in laughter, a sound so foreign to Cassidy's ears. Jesse couldn't help laughing with her, watching as she keeled over and clenched onto her stomach while she sat on the table in front of him, "Please," She said catching her breath, "Those jobs would have also gone a **lot** smoother if you just had a little patience and followed our original plans instead of completely blowing it." Lifting her glass of wine up to her mouth she took a big mouthful.

"Blowing it?" Jesse asked, "Last I remembered - all those jobs you just listed we made it out alive and with great success." Lily nodded down at the table, "Sure," She raised her brows, "We got the job done - but by the skin of our teeth." She countered, staring at her finger nails, "We all almost died all those times you blew our composure." Jesse chuckled, "Yea, but they were some of the most fun times we all had, right?" He arched a brow drinking from his bottle again, "I mean, that's why you remember them so well." He said with a cocky grin.

Lily looked up at him and bit her lip as she kept her eyebrows raised, "Yea."

"Yer brother's right." Cassidy said, "Why wait fer opportunity when ye can jus' grab th'world by th'balls n'yank on 'em t'get th'job done n'over wit." Jesse looked to Cassidy, bobbing his bottle towards him, "Exactly. Thank you, Cass." They clanked their bottles against each other.

With a scoff, Lily rolled her eyes yet again, sitting herself on the table and resting her sparkly boots on a chair between her and Jesse. "Wonder wot Tulip's up to." Cassidy sang lowly. With a quick shift of her eyes, Lily was death glaring Cassidy. He sat innocently, drinking from his bottle as he raised his brows at her. She'd lost track of the amount of time's he'd dropped obvious hints the past couple of hours now.

The more time past the more bold he got - pretty soon he was going to straight up just tell Jesse everything, as if he had zero regard for his life. "I told you, Cass-" Jesse said, "She's pissed at me." He flipped out his phone checked to see no word from her. Lily glared at Cassidy for another moment before shifting her eyes back to Jesse, watching as he threw his phone on the table, landing beside where Lily was sitting. "Hell," Jesse said, his lips to the bottle in his hand, "Lily'd know more than I do, wouldn't ya?"

Jesse looked to Lily, who's raised her face up to him. She felt Cassidy staring at her. He studied her, showing no trace of secrecy on her emotionally or physically. Cassidy wondered how someone so secretive could wear such an innocently soft face. "I'm sure she's told you all about how much of an ass I am." Jesse went on, "You always love a good opportunity to shit talk bout me." He smirked while he took a big gulp of beer.

"Hmph," Lily laughed halfheartedly, as she shook her head, staring down at her phone on the table, "As true as that _is..._ she hasn't, actually." She said nonchalantly. "Hm." Jesse said thoughtfully as he flattened his mouth, "Well.." He sighed, "I'm sure you'll hear all about it soon." Lily nodded and felt Cassidy's laser stare practically burn into her soul.

Suddenly, it was as if the teasing and playful mood in the room had toned down, Lily was looking at Jesse with soft eyes. "What?" Jesse asked, feeling the change of energy as he stared at her eyes. Cassidy half expected her to tell him she knew where Tulip was and that she was worried as much as Cassidy was, even if she wouldn't admit it to Cassidy, he knew she had to be. He caught himself sit up straight, waiting for her to spill her guts.

"It's just-" She paused a moment, "I'm sorry.." Holding his breath, Cassidy felt his heart patter faster, thinking that Jesse would surely fly off the handle when he found out Tulip hadn't responded to them all day and they had no idea what kind of trouble she was in.

"For what?" Jesse asked, clueless. Cassidy watched her swallow, before shaking her head, "That we didn't really get anywhere today." She said. Cassidy huffed, relaxing from his straightened posture and rubbing his head as he realized she wasn't about to bring Tulip up as he thought she was. With a groan to himself, Cassidy moved the bottle from the table back towards his mouth, as he did, he watched Lily lower her empty glass from her grasp to rest on the ledge of the table she sat on. While she did, her hand seized up.

Cassidy froze as he held his bottle up to his lips, watching as she flexed her fingers out before clenching her fist, a small detail he didn't ignore. He felt his stomach turn, remembering Tulip mentioning her pain all starting with simple stiffness of her joints. He opened his mouth to let stream of whiskey down his throat before he stood up.

"Another one, padre?" Cassidy asked, snagging Jesse's bottle out of his hand. "Sure." He said, looking back at Lily as Cassidy walked by her, "Love?" He said. Lily nodded to him quick before looking back to Jesse, "All joking aside about how impatient you are... I was really surprised by the amount of patience you did have today. That beer bottle would've been down someone's throat a _lot_ sooner if it was _my_ patience that'd been on the line." "Hmph." Jesse laughed softly, "This isn't a heist, or a B&E or anythin' like the jobs we did that you were just talkin' about. This is God."

From the kitchen counter, Cassidy listened to the two of them, grabbing Jesse a new beer and refilling Lily's wine glass.

Lily shook her head at Jesse, "What do you mean, Jess?" She asked softly.

Jesse sipped from his beer bottle, "I mean, it's practically effortless to have patience with this circumstance. It's not just some job to get a decent payout or a fancy new car or a new pair of designer boots." He threw his hands to her feet, "It's God. It's the whole universe." He leaned back.

As Lily breathed in, she blinked at Jesse and nodded, not quite on his level of understanding, but he seemed to be very confident in himself so that was reassuring at least. "What about Genesis?" She said lowly. "What about it?" Jesse asked. Lily shrugged, glancing at Cassidy to catch his eyes quick before looking back at Jesse, "I don't know. Just what about it? I feel like we'd have a much easier time if we could make use of it. Can't use it with the Saint out there tracking us with it." Lily's tone was suddenly more productive.

Cassidy placed the wine glass he refilled for her back at Lily's side silently and slid Jesse his new beer before sitting where he was before, his eyes studying the two of them as he listened to the conversation continue.

Jesse nodded, "I've been thinking about that. Trust me." Cassidy looked from Jesse to Lily. If she wasn't wearing makeup, he'd swore their eyes were identical in the moment. "The Saint is a legend right? We should look into more about him. Do some research." Lily suggested, zoning out on the table. Jesse nodded, his eyes also focusing on something else, "Not a bad idea." He lifted his eyes to her and she met his stare, "We'll start that tomorrow then." Jesse claimed, "Deal with the Saint. That way I'll be able to use Genesis without a care, and we'll find God."

Nodding thoughtfully as she thought out Jesse's strategy, she reached her right hand to her wine glass. "I met this woman the other night..." Jesse started, picking at his new beer bottle label. With Lily's lips to the rim of the glass she raised her brows, "Hmm?" She choked down the wine in her mouth with a scrunched face. "It's not like _that_." Jesse grovelled, looking up at her, "Met her at a jazz club. Short of it is, there's this secret agency. Government or somethin'. I don't know much yet other than white vans and white suits. I can't help but think it might have something to do with all this, too. I just don't know how it fits in with all of it."

With a disgruntled face, Cassidy pursed his lips, nodding as he tried to think if any of it sounded familiar, but rang no bells. Lily laughed unbelievably, "Great." She shook her head, staring aimlessly down the hallway. "But forget that, now. Let's just deal with the Saint first, alright?" Jesse said, assuring. With a sigh, Lily looked back to Jesse, staring at each other a moment, the only sound the tiny TV in the living room beside them. His deep brown eyes were looking into hers and it was like looking into a mirror. "Alright." Lily said softly.

For the first time in a long time, there was a sense of unity, a wavelength that was the same between them. It was reassuring in a relaxed way. Of course, the sense of peace was short - Lily watched Jesse's neck practically snap towards the living room. The only sound was the TV in the other room.

Lily's eyes went wide, shifting from the living room to Jesse again, "What?" She whispered, half worried. With a screech against the wood floor, Cassidy stood straight up from the chair, his eyes now connected to Jesse as they stared at each other with the same shocked look. "Is that-" Jesses words cut off as the sound from the television in the next room blared. Cassidy nodded frantically, the tops of his wide eyes peaking over his frames, "I think it 'tis."

At this point the two of them had Lily believing they were all in some kind of terrible trouble again. "Quick!" Jesse said, his arm around Lily's back as he practically pushed her off the table. If Cassidy hadn't been on her other side to catch her wobble, she'd have probably fallen on her face. Before being pulled away from the kitchen, she snatched her phone on the table, never imagining for a second to leave it more than a foot of her.

"What's going on?" She whispered, trying to keep up to their rush into the living room. Cassidy was close enough to her to hear her heart speed up. "Nothin' t'worry fer." He assured her quickly. "Look, Cass!" Jesse practically yelled, the three of them now planted in front of the tiny TV. Their commotion woke Dennis up from his arm chair snooze. Dennis looked up at Lily, Jesse and Cassidy before glaring up at them and quickly shuffling to his room, all while he cursed them grumpily under his breath. "Holy shite," Cassidy gasped, "It's 'im! It's God!" "It's Fake God." Jesse corrected, breathlessly.

* * *

Lily turned her eyes from Dennis' door slamming back to Jesse and Cassidy beside her, "What?" She asked, entirely clueless.

"The-the-the guy-" Cassidy yelled, pointing at the TV with wild eyes and energy as Jesse stared star struck at the TV, "The fake God gobshite we told ye about back in Annville!" Cassidy explained hurriedly, glancing back at the TV quick.

"Fake God?" Lily asked, with her brow scrunched, she shook her head."Yes!" Cassidy proclaimed, "That's 'im!" She tried to remember everything they'd told her about that day. "I thought he was an angel or something?" Lily asked.

"That's what we thought." Jesse stated softly, piecing it together as his eyes not moving from the screen. "But they found him here. They took him from here."

"Who did?" Lily asked, trying to understand. "Don't know." Jesse said.

The commercial ended, and Jesse marched quickly into the kitchen, Cassidy and Lily following close to him as he found a paper and pen and wrote down the name of the company that the commercial advertised for. "But I'm gonna find out." He said with certainty.

With a soft stare he looked into Lily's eyes, "See? We did get somewhere." He smiled. Lily nodded, still not quite understanding why he felt like an actor portraying a homeless man on the TV constituted as a lead to him. "Can you find out more information about this?" Jesse pointed at the commercial name he'd written down on the scrap piece of paper.

"Like what?" She asked, taking it from him. "Anythin' about that actor." He said eagerly. "Sure." She said, blinking at him. "Now?" He asked, pointing at her phone in her grasp.

She furrowed her brow and closed her eyes, "Jess-" Rubbing the back of her neck with her other hand, Cassidy felt another jolt of worry surge threw him as she tilted her head to the side, "I'm exhausted." She said truthfully, "Can't it wait til morning?"

Jesse looked at the clock on the wall, it was 2:00AM, "It _is_ morning." He teased. Lily huffed and smiled halfheartedly. "Please." Jesse said, "This is the first thing that's come up since we left Annville. It's our first real piece of the puzzle-" He rambled, trying to inspire her to get on his level, "It's something we can actually work with and-"

"Alright," Lily said, holding her hands up to him, her eyes low, "Alright. Let me get my laptop." She pursed her lips and Jesse grinned while she turned to the hallway, walking towards the bedroom her stuff was in. "What are the odds? We'd see fake God, an actor." Jesse reveled to Cassidy as he stood beside him, who laughed, nodding, "A _local_ actor" He corrected, to which Jesse nodded back, looking up to Cassidy, "I'm gonna go outside quick," Jesse said, sticking a cigarette in his mouth, tilting his head to urge Cassidy to join.

"Ah," Cassidy said, "Jus' gotta piss quick, n'I'll step out wit'ye." Jesse nodded, "Alright." He smiled, walking with a new skip to his step towards the door.

Cassidy turned towards the hallway, his mouth straightening as he huffed, finally walking to the bedroom between the one Jesse and Tulip shared and Dennis'.

While he walked up to the open door, he saw Lily on the ground by the bed. Under the cheap, metal bed frame was her two suitcases. She moved one out and unzipped it.

Politely, he knocked against the wall on the way in. Lily looked at him, her hands busy as she found her laptop in the suitcase. "Hey." He said. "Hey." She said back, looking back him quick before she turned back to her bag to close it up. As she shoved the large bag under the bed again, her voice was clenched, "Jesse's got a real hard on for this whole God thing." She exhaled, the bag secure under the bed again.

Standing up with the laptop in her arm, she tilted her head towards the tiny single bed, "I'm so tired I was actually looking forward to that thing." She chuckled softly, walking to leave back to the kitchen.

Before she could get out of the walls of the bedroom, Cassidy held an arm out, "Lily." He said. She looked up at him, a brief moment to stare waiting for him to continue before she broke the silence, "What?" She asked. His eyes were covered by his sunglasses but she could picture how soft they were, "Tulip told me yer whole episode yesterday started wit jus some simple tenderness." He stated. Her eyes flickered while she looked up at him, her mouth straight, "I noticed ye tense up a bit." He said.

"Not now." She whispered her eyes wide as she poked her head to see if her brother was near. "He went outside fer a smoke." Cassidy stated quietly, "So, I'm pretty sure right now's the perfect time." The air was stale between them and as much as it killed her to admit it - she knew he was right. "Are y'hurtin' again? Cause I'm not waiting fer ye t'get anywhere close t'that again." She stared at his straight, serious face, thinking about Tulip's grave face - warning her to figure it out with Cassidy, to do whatever it took to make sure what she went through never happened again.

Finally, with a deep breath she nodded. He'd hoped he was just being paranoid - but her pain was coming back, which proved his fear of her biological reliance to his blood to be true.

Her throat was suddenly dry, "What do you think?" She whispered, her natural stubbornness melting away as she replayed Tulip's words and the picture of the solemn look in her eyes. "Well how sore are ye?" He asked immediately back. Taking a couple seconds she shifted her eyes away from him, "Just muscle pain, mostly. Why don't I just try some painkillers first?" She said. "Yea.." Cassidy nodded, "Yea, let's start wit that, then." He groaned, his eyes peaking down the hallway before he stepped out of the room.

Taking a moment, she stared at the laptop in her arm before walking back to the kitchen. Placing the computer on the kitchen table, she opened it and sat in front of it. Cassidy walked back into the kitchen, grabbing a glass and filling it with water before placing it in front of her with a pill.

She looked up at him, an unimpressed look in her eyes. "Right." His lips pulled to a flat smile as he snagged the water glass and opened the fridge to get her a bottled water instead.

"What is it?" She asked with the pill in her hand. "Oxy." He said shortly, leaning against the table as he looked down at her. Pressing her lips together she nodded, "Great." She stated, grabbing the pill. Before she could throw it in her mouth, Cassidy grabbed her hand, "Lily," He said with a serious face and an even more serious tone of voice, "You promise me. You'll tell me if it gets any worse." Lily nodded, "Yea." She scrunched her brow. He raised his brow and clenched her hand, "Yea, wot?" He asked. "I promise, Cassidy." She specified. With a sigh he let go, "Alright, then." And with that, Cassidy met Jesse outside while Lily searched the internet for answers about a New Orleans actor who played a homeless man.

* * *

"How the Hell'd you find that all so quick?" Jesse looked at the information she wrote down. She shrugged a shoulder, her chin resting on her hand as her elbow leaned on the table. Closing her laptop, she yawned. The oxy not helping how exhausted she already was. "Gunt Management?" Jesse asked, Cassidy cackled. "Yep." Lily rubbed her eyes, struggling to keep them open, "That's what came up. They open at 8:00... or did you want to just go there now and break down there door?" She asked sourly.

"Hmm," Jesse laughed, "Tempting, but I have a feelin' no one's gonna be there this time anyway. We'll leave just before they open. Get there right away." Lily dragged her eyes to the clock on the wall. It was now 2:30AM. Sleep wasn't something that they got recently, but it was worse knowing now little she was going to get. She let out a groan.

"Thanks, Lil." Jesse said, rubbing her back. "Ya, ya." She yawned again, "All for the universe or whatever it was you were talking about earlier." He smiled, "You _were_ listenin' to me." She nodded tiredly, "I need sleep." "Yea, we all do." Jesse said, poking his head down the hall and noticing only three rooms, one of them being Dennis's.

"Where are you sleepin', Cass?" Jesse asked in genuine concern, Lily moved her eyes from her brother to Cassidy. "Ah," Cassidy groaned lightly, "I might step out fer a bit." With a thumb pointed to the door he grinned, "I'll jus' crash on the couch when I get back." "Step out?" Jesse pried, "For what?" "Jus' th'usual business. Vampire stuff, y'know." With his arms crossed, he nodded with a grin. Jesse raised his brow, smiling, "Alright. Try not to get into any trouble. We need you tomorrow." "That wouldn't be any fun now, would it?" Cassidy pressed his lips together with a smile. Jesse chuckled.

"Night." Lily said shortly to both of them, shuffling to the room.

"Night." "Night." Jesse and Cassidy said in unison.

Inside her room, it was muggy and musty smelling, and opening the window hardly made it better. She stripped down and put on a set of comfortable shorts and a soft, cotton bralette, too warm and muggy to think about wearing pants or a shirt.

Struggling to keep her eyes open, she checked her phone. There was still no word from Tulip all day. She knew she shouldn't be worried - Jesse wasn't worried. Tulip even assured her _herself_ not to be - but if Cassidy spilled the beans on _any_ information to Jesse it could be really bad. With the way Cassidy communicated, the whole situation would more than likely go sideways, and it was getting thin on time for that to happen.

She texted Tulip again:

 **I'm giving you a few more hours before I head back there full force.**

She stared at the text, and backspaced, thinking it wasn't a good idea to threaten to show up there again in case someone else had her phone and she was in a bad position. Blinking, she shook her head, realizing Cassidy's paranoia was getting to her.

 **Get back to me right away.**

Knowing Tulip too well, she should know she was fine. It annoyed her Cassidy's obsession with Tulip's whereabouts were getting to her now. In any case, the least Tulip could do is just touch base with Lily.

The oxy was making her extra drowsy, her tenderness lessening, which was a good sign. Any other normal circumstance, a bed this small and terrible would've been a nightmare, but right now, it was heaven.


	45. Dry Mouth

_My God, you guys, writing these chapters are actually so hard for me but so many reviews were asking for another one. I was literally blushing the entire time writing this one, it took me a long time to get this one out cause, not even exaggerating, each sentence I wrote I almost died of embarrassment and had to put it away until I got over it, haha. I really don't believe I'm meant to write any type of smut so hopefully it suffices to all of your requests._

 _I couldn't bring myself to proof it that much, so please let me know if there's any major gaps or mistakes._

 _Anyways, please enjoy and remember: I'm not perverted - you are. You asked for it._

* * *

Lily slept for what she felt was only for a split moment, but when she opened her eyes and checked her phone, she'd slept almost two hours. Nearly 5:00AM now, she noticed immediately her mouth was very dry, almost impossible to breathe, and her pain was much worse. Quickly, she stared at her phone, with no notifications on the lock screen. Her heart dropped, between the pain coming back in a worse way, and the fact Tulip hadn't gotten back to her, things weren't looking bright.

With a groan, she moved her legs over the bed, throwing her silk robe on and tying it loosely. Unlocking the bedroom door, she did her best to quietly open the creaky door without waking anyone up. Instead of turning right down the hallway towards the kitchen, she stepped left, tip toeing against the wood floor.

She leaned into the opening of the second entrance into the living room, squinting her eyes in the dark. If he hadn't been snoring as loud as he was, Lily would not have known Cassidy was on the couch. Slowly in the dark, she tip toed towards the couch - or rather, the snoring. "Cass-" She whispered, to which she only got a loud snore back. She breathed in, "Cass." She tapped him, and still got nothing. "Cass!" She whispered a little louder, shaking him this time. He woke up in a shock, breathing in sharply, "Wot? Wot!?" He said, looking up at her in confusion as he came out of a deep slumber. "Sh." She hushed quietly, turning to look down the hallway to see if Jesse had heard anything. "Oh, Jaysis, Lil." He whispered, rubbing his face, "Y'scared me." He admitted.

"Sorry." Lily whispered. Cassidy sniffed, "Wot is it?" He asked. Lily swallowed, forgetting Cassidy could see the disgruntled look on her face perfectly in the pitch dark. Swiftly, he reached for her arm and pulled her down so she was sitting beside where he laid, wrapping an arm around her. She felt his denim, even his jacket was still on him, wondering how he could possibly sleep so deeply in such uncomfortable attire. "That's a nice robe." He complimented softly as he tugged on the floral satin. She tucked her hair behind her ear and cleared her throat, "More comfortable to sleep in than head to toe denim." She whispered critically. "Hm." He laughed quietly, "That's more than likely true." He sighed.

There was a bit of a pause, and nothing to really pay attention to other than the soft touch of his hand around her waist, rubbing at the soft satin. "Y'not feelin' good?" He whispered, not imagining she'd woken him up for any other reason. She shook her head, swallowing the lump in her throat, "No." She admitted, remembering Tulip's words helped her urge to be headstrong subside. "Hm." Cassidy groaned, "Alright," He moved his arm from around her and sat up, his face level to hers before she stood up. He followed suit behind her, his boots clanking against he floor as he stretched quickly. Lifting one of her bare feet, she tapped at his one foot, feeling his boots. Scrunching her face she crossed her arms, "Your shoes are still on, too?" She whispered unbelievably. "Passed out pretty quick." He justified, walking towards the kitchen.

She sighed, following him, "Ya that oxy gave me a good couple hours of sleep - not sure if it was worth it. My mouth is dry and I feel nauseous." "Hm." Cassidy hummed. The dim light above the stove was on, allowing her to finally see at least a little better.

As if by routine, he grabbed a bottle of water and a knife, pricking his finger with the tip of it as he let a single drop drip into the bottle before sticking his finger in his shirt until it quickly clotted itself. Hardly needing to swirl it, the single drop of blood turned the entire bottle of water a dark maroon.

"Let's jus' see how that does first." He said, holding it out to her. She nodded, breathing in before she quickly took it and downed half of the bottle of the laced water. Wiping her mouth, she exhaled, feeling her skin tingle as her body took to the small amount of diluted blood so quickly.

"Look at us figuring our shit out." Lily whispered, "Just like Tulip told us to, hmph." She chuckled quietly. Cassidy nodded, his lips pressed together, letting the air get stale again before he studied her face. "What?" She finally asked. His eyebrows furrowed, "Yer _really_ not worried about 'er at all?"

Lily shook her head. It was annoying how obsessive Cassidy was. "Why not?" He asked, "Why are yew n'Jess jus' not concerned fer her at all?" Though he was still whispering, his tone was definitely getting more stern, and Lily raised her brow, "I know she's fine." She whispered lower in hopes to bring his noise level back down to hers, "I know where she is." She justified annoyingly.

Cassidy shook his head, "Wot about 'im?" He hissed, throwing his arm out towards the room Jesse was in. Lily's throat closed, looking at Cassidy's face as she caught a glimpse of his eyes, hazed over, with his eyebrows low and a look of aggravation in them, "Jus' passes it off as 'er bein' pissed off n'that's it."

Lily took a deep breath in, her annoyance melting away completely as she caught a smell that made her mouth water and her mood neutral. She was having a hard time keeping her head on straight an even harder time finding words. He placed his hands on her shoulders, his tone a bit softer, but still a bite to it, "When I saw that window open in the hotel the other night, n'ye were gone, I didn't stop looking fer ya. Not fer a second." He said. There were a few seconds of silence, but Cassidy spoke again, spitting words faster in a low hiss, "I knew ye were pissed, too. Didn't stop me from bein' sure y'were alright, which y' _weren't_ in the end." He said matter-of-factly. Lily didn't say anything, he had a point and she wasn't sure what the right words to say back were. Cassidy stared at her wide eyes, "He should be doin' that fer her."

His face softened and he let go of her shoulders, turning to the kitchen counter behind him to light a smoke inside the kitchen. She lifted the water bottle to her lips and drank more, leaving only a quarter of the bottle left as she stared blankly at the table. After a minute of silence he paced back towards her and spoke, "I'm sorry I pissed y'off." He said. She shook her head, staring looking from where she'd been aimlessly staring up to him, "I just assumed it wasn't possible for you to reproduce... Being an entirely different species and all." She tilted her head as she raised her brows, drinking the last of the laced water.

Cassidy cackled a little too loudly for how quiet they should've been, taking the last drag of the cigarette and putting the butt in an empty beer bottle beside the sink. He exhaled, "Ye say that as if it would be such an absurd thing if I could, all while y'drink my blood t'heal yerself." He pointed at the water bottle in her mouth, "Some logic, that is." He grinned. She moved the empty water bottle from her lips as they twisted and closed her eyes, nodding, "Ya, ya.." She huffed.

He stared at her as she leaned back against the counter.

"Feelin' better?" He asked. Her skin was tingling with a warm fuzzy sensation, she felt much better. When she nodded, his heart dropped a little, "I was hopin' it wasn't gonna be th'case." He whispered sadly, "Jus' gonna 'ave to work wit it, I suppose." He said.

With a soft nod, she shifted her eyes from the ground up to his face, "About Dennis," Lily lowered her brow as he stood across the kitchen, "You could've found another time, place and way to break the news, Cassidy." She groveled. He nodded crossing his arms as he paced towards her, finding a place on the counter to lean beside her, "Yea," He smirked, "Yer right. It's no wonder y'got so mad." He remembered her straddling him on the hotel bed, only to have him throw her off. "Hm." She said sourly, remembering the same.

Opening herself up to him more, she turned her upper body to him, and got a good whiff. He should've smelt like stale cigarette smoke and sour alcohol to her, but instead all she smelt was the rich aroma of his natural scent.

Lily cleared her throat quietly, staring at his lips, "Thanks for the help." She said, waving the water bottle in the small space between them before placing it on the counter. "No problem." He whispered, "Yer not sore anywhere?" He asked softly, she shook her head, still staring at his mouth, "Sick?" He asked. The nausea was gone, so she shook her head again, opening herself up more as she turned her hips open to him so she faced him. "Wot was the other thing.." He whispered. "Dry mouth." She whispered back. It was obvious her dry mouth was cured, as saliva pooled inside of it the closer she got to him. "Ah," He said, "Right. How's that?" His tone was devious.

Tilting her head back and forth, "Still pretty bad." She lied. Cassidy raised his brow, "Oh?" He said, straightening his mouth, smart enough to know she was bullshitting, "Wot d'ye think we can do t'help that out?" He enticed. She stared at his lips, her heart racing faster and faster as her stomach fluttered, unable to say anything. "Some water?" He teased, reaching behind him to the fridge and handing her a bottle of water.

Shifting her eyes from his face to the bottle, she grabbed it from him, expecting him to pull her into him, but he didn't. He was expecting her to jump on him, but she didn't. "Thanks." She cracked it open and drank from it, as the both of them stood there, too stubborn as they each waited for the other to give in first. Moving the bottle from the suction of her lips she exhaled in satisfaction, "You were right." She whispered with a smile, "All better. Night."

As she turned to make her way down the hallway back to the bedroom, she made it three steps before she heard his boots step only a couple times behind her. When she turned back toward him, his lips were immediately against hers as he pulled her towards the living room. With her feet struggling to keep up to follow his lead, he swept her off them, their lips not disconnecting for a second while her legs hooked around his hips.

The stubble on his face and around his lips both tickled and burned at the same time against her skin, a sensation that drove her crazy in a new way. Each of his hands were underneath each of her butt cheeks, grasping each of them under her robe, causing her shorts and underwear to ride up, leaving her butt exposed as he held her up. His fingers inched closer to each other, touching the lining of her underwear.

Her arms were around his shoulders, her hands moving fast - through his hair, around his face, under his shirt. She desperately clawed his jacket off, as he took turns moving each of his hands from under her butt to slide the jacket off his shoulders. It would've been easier to just put her down all together, and take it off himself - but easy wasn't what route they were going for.

When his jacket was finally off, she had slipped down a little from his grip on her being compromised while taking off each sleeve of his jacket, to which he quickly jumped, lifting her easily back to the secure position around him. When she landed back in perfect place, she gasped, letting go of his lips for a moment to throw her head back and arch her back as his hard-on pressed against the center of her groin, the thin fabric on her against his jeans felt like the most torturous thing to happen to her.

He felt her grip her thighs around him as tight as she could, doing anything to move herself around him. While she struggled to catch her breath, she kissed him again, clinging onto his shirt as she stifled the urge to moan. "Shh." He hissed against her lips, knowing Jesse would be furious to see his little sister straddling anyone, let alone his best friend. It'd be one thing to admit he loved Jesse's sister to him, but it would be a whole other thing to find out this way. He'd have Cassidy out in the sun as quick as Jesse could drive him to it.

Twisting the fabric of his shirt in her fingers, she lifted it up, pulling it off him as he once again had to remove one hand at a time. The shirt broke their kiss for a brief moment as she pulled it over his head, keeping it in her hand as he grinned against her lips, realizing she'd slipped down again - just as she'd intended, he assumed. He lifted her up again, landing her back in the spot that had made her gasp just moments before, but this time his fingers were beneath her underwear.

When his finger slid into her, she was unable to contain her expressiveness, moaning quick against his lips, taking a deep breath in before letting out a choppy exhale. In a quick motion, he moved his hands from between her thighs to her back, her heart dropping as she was only getting into what they had going. He leaned forward, placing her down sideways on the arm chair, so her legs hung over the arm and her head rested on the other arm. As he kneeled down on the floor between her legs, his hand quickly trailed up her robe, which was practically open, the loose knot not doing the best job at keeping it closed, but, of course, he wasn't complaining about that.

His hands began moving under her thin bralette as she inhaled, biting her lip as she closed her eyes, her one hand grasped one of his wrists as her other arm dangled off the arm chair, his shirt still clenched in hand. Carefully, he pulled his hands from under her bralette out, lifting her it above her breasts so they stayed out for display for him, sliding his hands to her hips, before grasping both of her inner thighs.

If she thought the stubble on his face was sensitive against her face, she was in for a surprise when he started kissing her inner thigh. While he worked his way, kissing painfully slowly closer to her center, feeling the pulse in his grasp of her thigh get faster and faster as he did. He slipped one hand up in front of his face, moving her tiny shorts and underwear to the side easily and sliding a finger deep into her quick. She arched her back, digging her heels into his back as she shoved his shirt that was in her hand into her face.

He looked up at her, tossing her head side to side as she buried her face and her noises she struggled to stifle while he stuck another finger in, picking up the speed for her. While fingering her, he brought his mouth to her clit, kissing it hard.

Between the way she was scrunching her face, digging her heels into his back and practically smothering herself with his shirt in her hand, it seemed like she was in pain. But he knew that most definitely wasn't the case. It was killing her to be so quiet. For a brief moment, she thought about what would happen if Jesse stepped out of the bedroom right now. He'd have a clear shot of the vulgar image that the two of them were displaying. It was almost as if both of them had zero regard for their own lives.

Quickly, she was pulled out of her train of thought as she grasped onto his head, and he kept going fast for her. Both the fabric of the shorts and underwear, though thin, were sliding back in the way, to which Cassidy quickly grabbed with his teeth, grinding them against the fabric, and ripping them both to expose her completely and pleasure her without any nuisance.

Eventually feeling her waistband nearly up to her ribs, she looked down, lifting the ends of the ripped fabric to bare. She scrunched her brow, sitting up, "Cass-" He lifted his head from between her legs, his fingers still moving slowly in her, lifting his head to kiss her, his mouth warm as he moaned quietly. She pulled away, her voice wavering as she tried to see past his fingers pushing inside her, "I liked those shorts." She whispered breathlessly. "I'm sorry." His low voice rasped as he moved his mouth up to her ear, "How can I make it up to you." A shiver went through her body from the excitement and closeness of his voice pressed against her ear as she turned her head to move his mouth away from her while she struggled to suppress the noises inside of her.

He enjoyed watching her skin crawl in this way, usually she had a fight to put up with anything but when it came to sex she was completely vulnerable. He moved his lips down and kissed her neck, his lips against it as he spoke, "Tell me wot I can do." He hissed as he fingered her noticeably slower.

She moaned, maybe a little too loud, feeling the edge of her climax die slowly as his speed slowed down. Quickly, she grabbed the wrist of his hand that was between her legs and urged him to continue, but he didn't.

"Just tell me." He insisted.

"Shut up-" She spat, her breath choppy, "I was so close-"

"All you have to do is jus tell me wot I can do t'make it up to you for ruining yer shorts." He stated as if he was asking an innocent question instead of tormenting her.

Rolling her eyes and head back in unison she clawed onto him, "Ugh-" She groaned, "Just fuck me already." She hissed between her teeth. He didn't hesitate a second, moving his fingers out of her and wrapped his arms around her, with his arms inside her robe as he lifted her to place her around his hips again, her wet center sitting on his lower abdomen as he walked towards the bedroom. His boots were still on, and Lily wondered for half a second if Jesse had heard anything, but it wasn't long before her lips were stuck to Cassidy's while he began walking them out of the living room.

He took them into the bedroom and closed the door, not so carefully. Lily grasped him tightly, ripping her lips off his, "Cass-" She hissed, warning him to be more attentive to his noise level. "Guess I should get a rubber since yer not into me knockin' y'up?" He said mockingly, placing her gently on the bed with a kiss. Shaking her head, she kissed him, "I got the doctor to give me Depo-Provera." He kissed her back, raising his brow, "I'm assumin' wotever that is doesn't require a rubber, then?" She shook her head, "No, it doesn't." He ripped his pants down and kicked off his boots as they clunked on the ground. "Cassidy." She hissed harsher, "Quiet." He looked at her, covered barely by her robe. Her ripped underwear and shorts remained around her waist, and her bralette still half on. She was flush, all of her blood was at the surface of her skin and it was the most beautiful thing to him.

Leaning to her, she reached her hands out, wrapping her arms around his neck again as he pushed her down with a hard kiss.

"Oh, I can be quiet," He growled in her ear, "Yew jus' worry 'bout yerself." Without warning he slid himself deep into her. She couldn't help but gasp loudly, her hand moving to her mouth as she unwillingly moaned while he thrusted inside of her. The metal bed frame squeaked, far too loud. He lifted her and moved her to a couch on the room, ripping off the remainder of the clothing.

It seemed to be his favorite thing to start a good thing but not keep it going for long, which gave her mixed emotions. One second she'd be bent over and feeling so close to climaxing, and suddenly he'd pull out of her - the worst feeling, as it would always stop such a perfect feeling and pace. She had split seconds to be mad before he had her feeling even better in some other position.

Eventually, he'd moved her back to onto the bed, finding a way to lay her down without it making too much noise. Finally, he'd kept her going in the same position long enough for her to reach her high point. She felt it so close, she clawed into his back and kissed him hard, letting out a few quiet whines as she felt it about to happen. Suddenly, Lily heard a loud metallic crunch above her head, her eyes opened as their momentum continued, but her climb to her climax dwindled slightly.

She saw Cassidy, her lips attached to his, was clearly not phased. She tilted her head upwards, moving her lips from his and instead leaving his face buried in her neck as she stared up at the headboard. Cassidy had his one hand gripped on the metal headboard above them and had bent it entirely. It was hard for her to be focused on how he'd managed that when she was having an entire sensory overload.

As much as she wanted to tell him to shut up or to ask him why he felt the need to do such an unnecessarily loud thing, she instead was consumed again by the toe-curling feeling of his dick ramming deep into her as she quickly forgot about it. Arching her back, she closed her eyes as she moaned quietly and grabbed Cassidy's head while he was still buried in her neck, feeling the climax coming back quickly.

He began panting very heavily, and Lily was sure he was peaking. She scrunched her brows, pulling in a discomforted manner, "No," She whined. She was getting there, but she was not ready herself yet, "Not yet." Cassidy clenched his jaw, shaking his head as he exhaled with a growl as his speed of pushing himself into her slowed drastically. Lily had no idea he wasn't struggling with busting his load and was instead struggling from busting her throat open. He pressed his eyes shut trying to picture anything else, feeling her pulse from her inner thighs tight around his hips.

He'd been doing so well. He had to get his mind out of the rut it was in. In perfect timing, there was a knock on the bedroom door, distracting Cassidy perfectly as his mind went clear.

"Lily?" It was Jesse's voice. She clenched onto Cassidy's shoulders and in an instant her pure ecstasy morphed to pure horror.

Quick as lightning, she slid out from under Cassidy and off the bed, yanking at the silk robe on the floor and throwing it over her shoulders. In the mirror on the vanity beside the door, her reflection caught her eye. Cassidy watched her as she studied herself up and down, her jaw dropping. With her hair a disaster, skin entirely flush, and the look on her face - she looked like the epitome of someone who was in the middle of getting plowed hard.

She shook her head, knowing she couldn't let Jesse see her in the image she was. The door handle jiggled and Lily jumped in distress, "Lily?" Jesse repeated louder. "Ya!" She said back almost to immediate.

Just like that, Cassidy's head was clear. He stood up from the creaky, metal bed. Lily turned her head to him and glared, holding a finger to her lips angrily. She turned her head back to the door, "Ya, Jess." She said calmer.

Cassidy stepped quietly behind her, wrapping his arms around her as she quickly yanked them off of her, giving him a stern look that was no use. It only tempted him more as he wrapped his arms around her again - this time not so gently. As she tried to pry him off the second time - it was no use. She turned her head to him, his mouth in her ear as he began whispering, her heart racing so fast in fear Jesse would hear, and it only made it that much better for him. His hand found it's way, trailing down her stomach and she felt her breath wavering as he stuck his hard on between her legs, rubbing against her wet center. "Are you alright?" Jesse asked, muffled on the other side of the door.

She felt her feet unwillingly arch to tip toe, desperate to set a perfect angle for him to slide in, and he wasted no time doing just that. "Yea." She tried to keep her voice steady as Cassidy thrusted into her from behind. "Thought I heard somethin' crash." Jesse said. "Just woke from a bad dream." Her voice shaking slightly, "I'm fine." Lily said, taking a quick breath as Cassidy pushed deep into her, "Night."

"Alright. Night." Jesse said, walking back to his bedroom. Cassidy pulled out from her, moving her, "Cass-" She turned to him, her legs wobbling, "I don't know how much more I can take." She admitted breathlessly, to his satisfaction. He moved her back onto the bed and finally finished her off before he came inside her - entirely guilt free, as if it wasn't to him before.

When she collapsed on top of him, she hardly said two words before her breathing was steady and she was clearly in a deep sleep. Cassidy laid there with her passed out in his arms, smoking a cigarette as he grinned to himself, how sick of a fuck he must be if thinking about her brother during sex would help him keep his composure to have sex with her and not to kill her.


	46. One of a Kind

The drapes waved softly as the cool morning breeze drifted into the peaceful bedroom Cassidy and Lily slept in. The sun began to rise, adding a golden glow to the room the more it crept in. Each second, the line of sunlight ventured further into the quiet serenity, inching it's way closer and closer towards the bed. Cassidy's hand dangled from the side, and if he wasn't in such a deep sleep, he might've even woke up from how warm it was beginning to feel as the sunlight reached out closer to him.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. As the sunlight just barely hit his hand, Cassidy woke up from a heavy mid-snore - the calm and peaceful presence of the room smothered and killed by his fluster of pain. He winced, groaning unwillingly as he sat halfway up, yanking his other arm from out from underneath Lily at his side. He waved his hand in front of his face, a bit disoriented as he rubbed his eyes with his other hand, scrunching his face. He looked at the singe mark on the top of his hand the sun had just hardly hit, cursing quietly to himself.

Once he was a bit more with it, he looked to his left, seeing Lily's back to him as she slept, the two of them hardly fitting on the single bed. He wiped a stream of drool from the corner of his mouth down his cheek. With his feet hanging off the end of the bed, he adjusted himself, the bed frame squeaking loudly as he did, staring at her beside him for a moment.

Miraculously, Lily had stayed sound asleep through the last several seconds of commotion Cassidy had caused, her breathing heavy. First, of course, Cassidy snatched his sunglasses that laid on the bedside table, sliding them on his face. Carefully, he slipped out of the bed as he slunk around the solid ray of daylight, covering his junk, the most important thing at the moment, before gripping the drapes and running them shut to block the raw sunlight beaming in.

He sighed with relief, glancing again at Lily before walking to her side of the bed, snagging his underwear and pants off the ground. He slipped them on quick, looking around for his shirt. Almost immediately, he remembered Lily ripping off his jacket and shirt out in the living room before they'd taken things to the bedroom - leaving him shirtless for the moment.

Noticing some of Lily's clothing folded on top of a dresser to his side, his eyes fixed on her. Looking so peaceful as she slept, her eyes were still closed and her breathing still a steady pattern. Looking back at her folded clothes, he contemplated rummaging through for something to temporarily throw over his top half. He pressed his lips together, glancing at the top of the pile. His eyes spotted a variety, among the clothing he saw see-through chiffon fabric, a pearl studded collar, fine sequin lined material...

He shook his head to himself.

No.

Nothing she would own would ever do for him, not even just to walk down the hallway in.

Quietly, he picked up his heavy boots, tip toeing to the door before he pressed his ear against it, not that he had to, but it was just to be extra sure. When he figured the coast was clear he crept out, the door creaking loudly as he did, looking suspiciously down the hallway both ways before quickly pacing to the living room on his toes.

As soon as he walked into the living room, the bathroom door down the hallway opened. Frantically, he threw his boots against the couch, spun around and snatched his t shirt he just spotted in the middle of the living room floor, pulling it over his head. He heard footsteps that were no doubt Jesse's approach in the double doorway that connected to the kitchen.

Cassidy cleared his throat, rushing to the doorway and leaning his elbow against the wall, "Oh!" Cassidy said, bumping into Jesse as if by surprise, "Mornin', Padre." He said nonchalantly.

"Hey, Cass." He said, his black collared, button shirt open as he began buttoning from the bottom, not skipping a beat as he continued walking past Cassidy into the kitchen. Noting the time to be just after 8AM, Cassidy looked to Jesse, walking towards him as he tucked his hands into his pant pockets, "Y'wanna head on out, soon, then?" He asked Jesse.

Starting the coffee pot, Jesse stared down, finishing buttoning the last of his shirt, "Ya," Jesse nodded, "Sound good to you?" He asked, looking at Cassidy as his hands kept busy on the top buttons before his collar.

"Ya," Cassidy raised his brows, bobbing his head, "Ya sounds good t'me." He repeated. Jesse smiled, his eyes shifting to Cassidy's chest a quick moment, "Late night?" Jesse asked as if it was more of a statement.

In genuine confusion, Cassidy scrunched his face downward, pulling at his shirt to see what Jesse's eyes caught. It was smears of what was undoubtedly lipstick. Images of Lily smothering herself into his shirt in her hand to keep herself quiet as his head was between her legs in the living room just hours before flashed in Cassidy's mind.

"Ah," Cassidy said cooly, "Yea.." He smirked with a chuckle. "Well that makes one of us at least," Jesse grovelled, pouring himself a coffee. "Tulip still not make it?" Cassidy asked in concern, happy to get the topic of his late night out of the conversation. Jesse side eyed him, shaking his head. "Don't y'think that's weird?" Cassidy whined, his face twisted in disturbance, "Gone all day? Doesn't come home at night? It's weird." Cassidy enticed.

"Not for Tulip," Jesse sipped his coffee, "Lily up yet?" He asked, walking towards the hallway, "I-I dunno." Cassidy pressed his lips tight and fluttered his eyes. It was getting hard to keep a straight face so it was a good thing Jesse wasn't staring too hard at him. Something about Jesse made it easy for Cassidy to crack. Jesse turned the corner down the hall until he stood in front of the door.

Cassidy heard a faint knock, and silence, "Lily?" Jesse asked against the closed door. When he hadn't heard anything back from her, he knocked again, "Lil. Wake up. We gotta go soon." As if he could feel himself beginning to sweat, he imaged Jesse opening the door to find his sister - naked in bed and her torn clothes scattered around the floor. Blinking quick, Cassidy felt a hot flash coming on, he paced towards the kitchen table nervously.

"Jesse?!" Lily shouted back, her voice hoarse and clearly disoriented. "Yea." Jesse said at the door, "Raise and shine and all that. Get up, we gotta go soon!" Even without Cassidy's advanced hearing, he would've been able to hear Lily's groan from the kitchen. Without restraint, he smirked, chuckling at her attitude. His face dropped slightly when he heard Jesse walking back, Cassidy brought his hand up to his mouth to cover his smirk, rubbing his chin.

"Kinda feel bad waking her up after having hardly any sleep." Jesse admitted very quietly, grabbing a couple more coffee cups, pouring the pot into the cups and walking to Cassidy who now sat at the kitchen table, "But this is big." Jesse said referring to their lead they'd seen on TV just hours before, sliding Cassidy a cup as he nodded and thanked him quietly. "You drink coffee, right?" Jesse asked curiously. Cassidy chuckled, "Yea, sure." He reached into his pants pocket, grabbing two loose pills and dropping them in, stirring it with his finger. With a head shake and a grin, Jesse looked at Cassidy as he raised his coffee cup to Jesse. "Cheers."

Unable to help it, Jesse laughed, before the sound of the bedroom door opening filled the apartment instead. The creaking of the door was followed by the quiet footsteps that pattered quickly down the hallway as Lily B-lined it into the washroom. Cassidy sighed, gulping down a mouthful of his coffee, "I'm gonna go check on Dennis n'change into somethin' less-" He looked down at himself. "Filthy?" Jesse asked. With an chuckle, Cassidy lowered his eyes to Jesse, "Yea." He groaned, lifting himself up and tromping to Dennis's room where he'd kept his few personal items.

Jesse waited, reading the newspaper and hearing the faint background noise of Dennis and Cassidy's voices. Eventually, Cassidy made it back out to sit at the table, chatting with Jesse about what their plan for the day was.

When Lily stepped out of the washroom, she was ready to go, other than the towel on her head. "Morning." Jesse said to her as she paced into the kitchen, glaring at him, which he knew was mostly playful, "Morning." She said flatly, walking to the fridge and opening it to snatch a bottle of water and the only piece produce in the fridge - a sad looking apple.

"Coffee?" Jesse asked as she walked towards the kitchen table to where Cassidy and Jesse sat. "Morning." Cassidy said to her. "Morning." She said again, in a notably less flat tone. "Why you say good mornin' to me so miserably but pretty much sing it to Cassidy?" Jesse teased. She dragged her eyes to her brother, " _He_ didn't wake me up." She bit into the apple in her hand and scrunched her face, "This apple tastes like shit." "Pretty sure that's a pear." Cassidy stated. With her head tilted, she raised her brows up and down quick, "Fair enough, then." She said, placing the mystery fruit on the table as Cassidy snatched it up, looking at it quick before taking a bite himself curiously. Lily cracked the bottle water, the mouth of it to her lips as she spoke against it, "We need to pick up food before we come back here." Lily stated, letting the water rush down her throat.

Jesse waved the cup of coffee up in her face, "Mmm." She hummed as her eyes lit up at the cup being waved in her face, still drinking the water. She snagged the cup of coffee with her other hand, "You sleep alright?" Jesse asked, looking up at her. Her eyes rolled slightly as she moved the water bottle out of her mouth, "For the few hours we got." She glanced at the clock, "Yea."

Setting the bottle of water down on the table, she brought the coffee cup to her lips, "Nightmares didn't keep you awake?" Jesse asked. Lily saw Cassidy flicker his eyes from Jesse to Lily, all while she shook her head, moving the cup from her mouth, "No. Just the one woke me up." She said simply, "This coffee is cold." Her face was flat as she turned towards the sink and threw the black liquid into it. "Was hot half an hour ago when I poured it for ya." Jesse hinted at her to hurry, glancing at the clock. Cassidy watched Lily step to the coffee pot, lifting it up to her face to see just a splash of coffee at the bottom of it before she shoved it back in it's station.

Her shoulders dropped, "Just need to braid my hair." She was already walking down the hallway. "Can't you do that on our way?" Jesse yelled loud enough for her to hear. "No." Lily yelled back. With a smirk, Jesse looked to Cassidy. "Y'like givin' 'er Hell, don't ye?" He asked. With a shoulder shrug Jesse swung his head to the side, "It's all in good fun. She's easy to tease." Cassidy nodded with a soft laugh, a completely different definition of teasing Lily stuck in his mind.

* * *

Lily stepped out of the bedroom shortly after, her feet clacking against the wooden flooring. With a soft sigh, Jesse glanced at the high heels on her feet, a pair he hadn't seen yet, "Lily. How many pairs of shoes did you pack?" Jesse looked at her, just under eye level to him. She ignored him, walking towards the front door. "And what's with you and needin' to be wearing such tall shoes." Jesse added. Lily opened the front door, glaring over the sunglasses she slid on her face, "I can't concentrate in flats." She stated, "Why does it matter to you anyways?" With a quick shrug and a head shake, Jesse smiled at her, "Doesn't." Dipping her head down, she glared warning at him to let him know she knew he was just trying to push her buttons. She leaned back and opened the door wider, "Now, are we going or not?" Leaning half out of the door and half in the apartment still, her brow straightened, "Where's Cassidy?"

"Hey, Cass!" Jesse yelled. "Yea!" He yelled from Dennis's room down the hallway, quickly making his way towards the kitchen, Dennis following behind him reluctantly dragging his feet as his eyes met Jesse and Lily.

"Padre," Cassidy hustled up to Jesse and Lily, "I know we're in a hurry t'go, I jus' wanted ye t'meet Dennis before we head out." Cassidy reached an arm out towards Dennis, a dopey grin spread across his face, "Wouldn't want'a miss 'im again."

Jesse pressed his lips into an obligatory smile, "Thanks for letting us stay here." He said kindly. Dennis walked towards the fridge, his face flat and his energy clearly showing he couldn't care less as he opened the fridge door, his back turned to them.

Awkwardly, Jesse's eyes flickered to Lily beside him, "Alright then." He whispered to Lily, barely moving his lips. "He's french." Cassidy explained, as if justifying Dennis's cold shoulder,"Speaks french. Acts french." Cassidy laughed.

" _He's going to be staying here too_?" Dennis asked in french, turning to Lily, referring to Jesse, who turned his head to her, "You met him already?" Jesse asked. Lily glanced quick to her brother, "The first night we were here when you went out on your own." She explained quickly, turning her glance to Dennis, " _Jesse's my brother. Him and his girlfriend have made their selves comfortable in the first bedroom_." "Hmph." Dennis laughed in annoyance, taking the carton of juice he'd grabbed and moving to the kitchen counter. He began grabbing a variety of pills, vitamins and meds from the cupboard, while Jesse and Cassidy briefly side-eyed each other as Lily and Dennis continued talking, leaving them in the dark.

Stepping back into the apartment completely, Lily closed the door, " _We shouldn't be here long."_ She explained, _"We can give you some compensation while we are, though. Cash. For letting us stay here._ " She offered. He scowled looking down at his glass as he filled it, " _Money is no use to me._ " Dennis began hacking, reaching into his house coat to grab his inhaler. Lily swallowed as she noticed Cassidy's face drop slightly.

Finally catching his breath, Dennis looked at her with a long face, groveling pitifully to himself as he walked past Lily, back to the fridge and reaching on top of it, sliding a piece of paper off of it, tight in his grip and turning back to Lily. " _Here_." He groaned, " _You want to compensate me?"_ Dennis mocked her words sourly, handing her the piece of paper as Jesse and Cassidy glanced down at in her hand. It was a doctor issued prescription slip. _"I'm feeling far worse than usual today."_ Dennis explained, stifling another cough as his voice clenched, " _Won't be able to make it out. Grab my prescription for me._ "

Lily opened her purse, placing the paper inside, " _Anything else_?" She asked him, her tone pretty well matching the coldness of his. He coughed, waving his hand at her as he shuffled back towards the bedroom, " _Tell him to leave me alone_." He said with his back turned.

"Is everything OK?" Jesse asked, looking at her. She caught Cassidy's eyes, and then Jesse's. "Yea." She said simply, swaying her head towards the door, "Let's go."

* * *

"C'mon," Cassidy rasped in Lily's ear as they walked down the busy street, "Jus' tell me wot he said." They'd been walking for nearly 10 minutes since the cab dropped them off, and Cassidy was on her every minute. A little ways in front of them, Jesse walked briskly, his head pretty much in front of his body he was walking so fast.

With _another_ groan, Lily rolled her eyes, "Cassidy-" She hissed, "For the last time Dennis was just grumpy and asked us to get him his prescription." Cassidy shook his head, "No, I know he said more than that." He said lowly, trying to keep out of ear shot of Jesse, "Did he mention havin' me turn him again? Cause if he did-" As the last of her patience completely faded, Lily stopped, turning to Cassidy and pointing her face up to him, "No. He didn't, Cassid-" Her words were cut off and her eyes lit up as they adjusted to something just behind him. Cassidy turned quickly to see what she was looking at. "Wot?" He scrunched his nose, not seeing anything unusual. Behind Cassidy, Lily noticed a sign of a high fashion designer store on the building. One of her favorite brands, she hadn't even known they had a store anywhere other than Paris and New York, let alone in New Orleans.

Something twinkled at her in the front window. They caught her eye immediately. She rushed up close and ripped her sunglasses off and stared longingly at the shoes in the window as a soft gasp left her unwillingly. They were below the knee heeled boots, black leather and finely laced with small black rhinestones in a hypnotically elegant pattern. Their soles were cream white and Lily fell in love immediately.

At the exact same time, the clock struck 9:00AM, the open sign of the designer store flashed on in front of her face. Without any second guesses, she lunged herself into the store. Jesse looked back, then up at the store sign, "Ah, Jesus." He cursed, tromping back towards where Cassidy stood. "She pounced right in there." Cassidy laughed with a gasp, "I've never seen anythin' like that before."

"What was she gawkin' at, now?" Jesse asked, irritated. "Those," Cassidy pointed at the window, his finger pressed against the glass, "I'd assume." He said, the both of them watching as a set of hands grabbed them from the display.

Inside, Lily stood on a lifted up area in front of a large mirror, all sorts of lighting around her feet and coming from the ceiling as if she was on display for the world. She slid the boots on, feeling like a million dollars as she stared at herself in the mirror, moving them around as she studied them. Cassidy and Jesse filed into the tiny, pristine yet simplistic store, sticking out like two very sore thumbs as the few sales representatives eyed them awkwardly.

"Can we help you find something?" One of them asked them. Jesse's eyes were on Lily, his one hand on his hip as he pointed at her, "Just waiting for my sister." Behind Jesse, Cassidy smiled at the rep, who tried desperately to keep their face straight as possible while looking them up and down quickly.

Lily's face was something Cassidy had never seen, it was like she was looking at the love of her life when she stared in the mirror at her feet. She turned around, lifting a foot. "Is that jacket from our last season _Donna_ collection?" The sales rep that was helping her asked. "It is." Lily said proudly. "A classic." The rep sang.

Jesse rolled his eyes to Cassidy quickly, crossing his arms before looking back towards his sister, "Could you just buy them so we can get out of here?" He asked Lily as she stood on the pedestal in front of the mirror.

"You can even get your initials engraved in the zippers on the back." The sales rep continued, "We can do it in house." The zippers along the back of the boots were hidden well. The only thing that showed of the zipper were the pull tabs at the top of the boot in the back. They were matte black triangles, downward facing. "We'd do the initials in white. Very classy."

Cassidy's eye caught a shirt on a rack not far away. He walked over, grabbing to see the price tag on it. "Jaysis!" He hissed loudly, feeling everyone's stares turn to him, "Wot th'Hell is that shirt made of, I mean, seriously? Fer that price you'd expect God himself t'have sewn it." He snorted, "Hey, Jess! Maybe these people know somethin' about God's whereabouts. Is'e in the back right now?" Cassidy stuck a thumb over his shoulder at one of the reps, "Sewin' away back there? Can't see any other reason you'd 'ave the audacity t'charge that much fer this shite."

A sales rep cleared their throat, their eyebrow twitching at Cassidy's striking attitude, "They're all one of a kind." He justified awkwardly.

"I don't care." Cassidy laughed, watching Jesse pace up to the rack, he looked at the price tags, shaking his head, "So?" He said to Lily, "Ya gonna get them, right? So just do it so we can get on with it." He noted it to be 9:10AM already, and he was impatient and eager.

Cassidy and Jesse walked up to her, standing behind her as they looked in the mirror in front of all of them. "They are beautiful." Cassidy agreed while he stared at them in the reflection.

With a hum and without moving her eyes from her reflection in front of her, Lily tilted her head to the other side before finally tearing her eyes away from them, "Thank you for letting me try them on." She smiled at the rep. "You're not going to take them?" They asked her. "Not this time." She said, slipping the zipper down with a smile, but it was clear heartbreak in her eyes. Not even her half of the money combined with Cassidy's that they had made the other night could afford the boots.

She stepped into her shoes that she walked in with as the rep grabbed the dream boots, whisking them away from her. While the rep walked past Cassidy, he grabbed one of the boots in their clutches, the rep not letting go, as he noted the price.

He choked, "Yew people! Ridiculous, honestly!" He claimed. Lily pushed him by his chest, backing him up, "Thank you." She smiled at the reps, pushing Cassidy out as Jesse followed behind. They continued down the road, finally finding the office building where the talent agency was located in.

Right about now, Lily was feeling pretty ashamed of the fact she was almost regretting burning Beneke to the ground - only because she was missing the benefits of having a corporate black card.


	47. Trouble

They'd hardly needed ten minutes at the talent agency that Lily had tracked down on the internet just several hours before. They hardly met a man by the name of Teddy Gunth, when in front of Lily and Jesse's eyes, Cassidy pretty much swooned to believing they were on a talent hunt for the 'Fake God' actor to hire him for a large role.

In silence, the Custers pretty much took the back seat as Cassidy was at the wheel, driving the path of a quick lie to this Teddy Gunth character, and selling him with it completely. To Jesse and Lily, it seemed Cassidy was having far too much fun with it - but it proved to work as handed over any information he had, so they couldn't be that critical.

If Cassidy and Lily thought Jesse was in a rush to get _to_ the agency, they were in for a big surprise to see Jesse on the way home. With an audition reel on a disc in his hand, Jesse whistled at the first taxi in sight as they stepped out of the building and onto the street, rushing Lily and Cassidy to get in. "If you get us there in less than ten minutes," Jesse said to the driver, "I'll tip you heavy."

The driver ripped through the busy streets as quickly as possible. Eventually, a small market caught Lily's eyes, "Stop!" The taxi driver reefed to the side as Jesse turned to look in the back seat, "What the Hell? We're almost there!"

"We need to run into the market." She opened the door to get out. " _Li-ly_ ," Jesse dragged annoyingly, "Get back in here!"

" _Jes-se_ " Lily matched his annoyed tone as she talked to him from outside the taxi, "We need to get Dennis' prescription. _And_ food." She threw her arm out to the tiny market, "Did you see that apple I ate a few hours ago?" "Pear." Cassidy corrected as he remained in the back seat, adjusting his sunglasses. Impatiently, Jesse shifted his eyes, fidgeting on the spot, "Fine." He tossed the driver some cash - with a heavy tip as promised, walking to the front doors of the tiny market before he looked at Lily as she walked in, "Just-" "Hurry up." Lily finished for him, "Ya, ya, ya." Her back was already turned to him while she opened the door and snatched a shopping basket, Cassidy filing into the market behind her.

In less than 5 minutes, Lily's basket was already too full, making her way to the register when her eye caught Cassidy down an aisle. "Sweet tooth?" Lily asked, pacing towards him quick as her eyes studied all the candy hanging on the shelves in front of them. Cassidy laughed softly, "No, jus' grabbin some'o these fer Dennis." He smiled softly, holding up a bag of candy, "They're 'is favorite." With a polite smile back, Lily nodded slowly, "Alright," She said, "Well I'm done, so.. I'll just see you outside." "Oh, I'm good t'go, too." Lily noted his arm, cradling a strange variety of items, on top of them was the small pharmacy bag with Dennis' meds he'd asked them to pick up. "Ok." She said shortly.

"Anything else?" The clerk asked as he finished ringing her up, "Yea-" Cassidy chimed in behind Lily, throwing his stuff on the counter and peaking his head around to see behind the clerk, "I'll grab a mickey o'that whiskey right ... there-" He pointed against the glass that sat between them and the clerk, "Make it two of those." Lily scrunched her face as she looked up at him, wondering why buying multiple mickeys was necessary compared to just getting a large bottle. "Easier t'carry around." He patted his jacket with a grin, turning back to the clerk and ordering about a dozen other mickeys.

The man scanned all of the booze into the register, "Anything el-" "Oh, tobacco!" Cassidy sang, "Almost forgot!" With her eyes rolling, Lily sighed, turning towards the door, "I'll meet you outside whenever you're done here." She left him with the few bags of groceries she'd gathered and all the booze he was buying, but before she could get out of the market, the clerk caught her attention.

"Hey, miss!" He hollered. The bell for the door jingled as she held the door open. From outside the door, Jesse stood against the wall, puffing on a cigarette. While his sister held the door open and turned back to stare into the market, Jesse wondered what the hold up was. He leaned towards her, peaking into the store. "I need to see your ID before you take off." The clerk said. Lily shifted her weight onto her other leg, turning towards the clerk, "You're joking, right?" She said back, to which the clerk shook his head. "I need to see it otherwise I can't send any of this stuff out of here." "Woah, woah, woah." Cassidy said dramatically, holding his hands out in front of him, "Jus' calm down, hang onna sec, she'll show y'it." He assured, his heart dropping at the thought of all booze and smokes that laid out in front of him suddenly vanishing.

"Hmph!" Lily laughed angrily. With a grin of disbelief, she looked from Jesse back to to the clerk, then to Cassidy. "Get back in there young blood," Jesse teased, "Or Cassidy might have a break down and approach things in his own unique way." Lily glared back at Jesse, who nudged her, "Hurry up with it!" He urged. After a quick scoff towards her brother, Lily let go of the door, closing it as the bell hanging on the door jingled with a more aggressive force to it.

Pacing back towards the clerk, she kept her composure, "Why do you need my ID for my groceries?" She argued, her tone of voice was cold and flat. "It's not the _groceries_." The clerk said in an obvious tone, throwing a hand out to the booze and tobacco, double the amount of bags than there were groceries.

"None of that's mine, though." She stated honestly, not wanting to flash her ID anywhere, no matter how small of hole in the wall it was. Nothing was worth the risk to her. Cassidy didn't see the threat of the tiny market, he just wanted his booze and smokes. Knowing where her mindset was at and how stubborn she was, Cassidy leaned closer to her as he groaned in her ear, "Jus' show 'im." Annoyingly, she moved her ear from his mouth, her eyes not moving from the clerk. The clerk sighed, a bit annoyed now, "You expect me to believe this is _all_ for him." Feeling her face get hot, she swallowed the lump in her throat - the urge to reach through the tiny talk-hole of the glass that separated her from the clerk and smash his face in.

She cleared her throat, "How much do you want?" Her arms were crossed. The clerk lowered his brow, expecting a few bucks, "I'm risking my job for a bribe for-" "200 dollars?" She cut him off, his words stopping and his brows raising as he wasn't expecting such a large number. The clerk swallow thoughtfully, his eyes moved from Lily to Cassidy, who laughed, holding his hands up, while his eyebrows arched above his sunglasses, "Hey! Don't look at me, man!"

The clerk looked back to Lily, "$300." He said boldly. "$300," Lily agreed, her eyes catching a dusty DVD player behind the man in a stack of electronics, "And throw in a couple bottles of that red there," She pointed at her favorite labeled wine with a sharp nail pressed against the glass between them, "A couple packs of Marlborough red and that DVD player right there." He nodded slowly, arching his brow questionably at her last request, but following it nonetheless. She smiled sourly, glancing quick to Cassidy before she walked towards the door.

With her face red she walked out of the market, she walked up to Jesse, who was stomping out his cigarette butt, "So?" He asked. "Paid him off." Lily stated, catching Jesse's glance that said _'Are you serious?'_ to her. "I'm not risking _shit_." Lily justified to his stare. With a simple nod, Jesse scrunched his nose as he looked in front of them, "There's a price for everythin', right?" She nodded, as both of their attention turned to Cassidy, walking out of the market with his arms full of bags, "Wot'd y'buy this dusty thin' fer?" He asked, his chin balancing the DVD player underneath it.

"Doubt Dennis has anything to read the disc with." She waved her hand towards Jesse's hand that clenched onto the DVD slip like the world depended on it (and in his mind - it did). "Did you _see_ that TV last night?" Lily asked.

Both Jesse and Cassidy hummed thoughtfully, a good point that neither of them would've thought on.

Less than five minutes and they'd made it back to the apartment. Jesse barrelled in like a tornado straight to the living room. In the kitchen, Lily began unpacking the groceries from where Cassidy had placed them on the counter. Quickly, Jesse B-lined it back into the kitchen, coming back to snatch the DVD player, "You were right." He said in a hurry, "No DVD player." Lily raised her brows, not surprised, "What was that?" She yelled at him as she kept unloading groceries. "You heard me." Jesse groaned. "Hmph." Lily smiled.

Cassidy stared at her as he leaned on the counter close to her side. His arms were crossed and he had a familiar look on his face. Feeling the obvious stare, she looked up at him, her hands still busy, "What?" She asked, her eyes moving back to the bags in front of her as she began crunching the empty ones down.

"I'm going to tell Jess that I think Tulip's in some sort of trouble." Lily froze, looking back at him before turning her body open to him and sticking her hip out, "What?" She asked in a noticeably colder tone, "I jus' wanted t'give ye a heads up is'all." He said simply. With a sarcastic nod, Lily took a sharp breath in, but before she could speak Cassidy cut her off,

"The coupla days we were at Mumbai Sky Tower, there, remember 'ow I told ya about th'angel lettin' us know the Saint was trackin' us with Genesis n'that?" Cassidy whispered. Lily nodded, "Tulip and Jesse almost got married." Lily stated, remembering Tulip telling her when she was on deaths door just the other day that Jesse had so casually proposed to her. "Exactly." Cassidy said, "Well, th'day they were about t'get married, I went up t'find 'er, n'there was a bloody dead man in her n'Jess's room." His eyes were wide. "What?" Lily asked quietly. "No joke-" Cassidy continued, "A _big_ bloke. About five times th'size of me." He held his arms outwards then upwards, " _Huge_." He emphasized. "N'she had me take care of gettin' rid of the evidence n'o'course, y'two girls favorite thing t'say: not t'tell Jess."

Lily's brow scrunched. Tulip hadn't mentioned having to kill a man in those two day's they'd been separate, but she supposed they hadn't had much time to themselves the past few days since then. Between all the chaos that happened, Lily hadn't had much time with just Tulip at all.

"I'm sick of keepin' secrets." Cassidy said, "Especially when I'ave such an, awful feelin', Lily." He whined. "Okay." Lily said, trying to sympathize as she ran her fingers through her hair. Her mind wandered about the man Cassidy said Tulip had to kill. "Just give me an hour." Lily reasoned quietly, "I'll go back there and make absolutely _sure_ for you that everything's fine." She said, but Cassidy shook his head, a smile of disbelief spread across his face as he sarcastically chuckled, "Are y'jokin'?!" His face flattened, "No." He said sternly, "This isn't _for me_. Lily." Cassidy's eyes were wide and had a tinge more of insanity to them than usual, " _He_ -" He hissed as he threw an arm out towards the living room where Jesse was, "-needs t'know. _He_ needs t'open 'is eyes n'see _he_ should be th'one lookin' out fer 'er. Enough of this." He spat, "N'yew think I'm crazy enough t'let ye run off anywhere on yer own, let alone back _there_!?" Shaking his head furiously, crossed his arms.

" _Cass-i-dy._." She dragged, her eyes low as she crossed her arms. "I'm not overreacting." He pointed at her, "You're _under_ reacting." She raised her brow. That was one thing she'd never been accused of before.

"Guys!" Jesse called, poking his body out to the kitchen. "Yea?" Lily asked, turning from the hot seat Cassidy had her in. "A little help?" Jesse requested. Pressing her lips together and smiling faintly, Lily nodded, "Okay." She looked back at Cassidy for a moment, his eyes forewarning as she finally turned to step into the living room with a sigh. She walked up to her brother, who leaned over the tiny TV that sat on top of an older, larger, presumably-broken one.

On the arm chair in front of the TV sat Dennis, reading the newspaper as he did his best to ignore them. Lily stared at him a moment - trying to get into her head that he was Cassidy's son, meaning Cassidy was much older than he was - and Dennis looked ancient to her. She thought of the fact she was having sex with someone older than _that_. With a twist in her stomach and a shiver of disgust rippling through her, Jesse yanked her mind out from the disturbing gutter it was in.

"I can't seem-" Jesse clenched his voice, reaching behind the TV in a rats nest of wires, "To get the picture-" He kept moving his hand around blindly, trying to feel his way around the mess of chords. "Move." Lily said, side-bumping her hip against him to shove him over gently. As she fidgeted with the wires, Cassidy stepped in, his hand grasping onto the bag of candy he'd grabbed from the market.

"'Ere!" Cassidy said to Dennis with a smile, "Got these fer ya. Know they're yer favorite." Dennis glared up at him, ignoring his hand out. " _Is he serious?"_ Dennis asked Lily, who rolled her eyes to the wall she faced, her hands still working around the cords behind the TV.

" _Candy."_ Dennis scoffed _, "Just what I need."_ Dennis cursed to himself under his breath. "His inhaler is in one of the bags." Lily said to Cassidy while she kept moving the wires around. "Right!" Cassidy jumped back into the kitchen and grabbed the little pharmacy bag, handing it to Dennis as he coughed miserably, "'Ere, Dennis." Cassidy said sweetly.

Dennis snatched the bag, hardly passing Cassidy a glance as he began making his way back to his bedroom all while he hacked, " _Honestly. Tell him to piss off."_ Shortly after, his bedroom door slammed shut. Lily looked back at Cassidy, who's shoulders were suddenly low as he threw the bag of candy on the side table beside the arm chair.

"What's his problem?" Jesse mumbled to Lily, not needing to understand french to know Dennis was clearly irritated. Lily arched a brow and shook her head, "I don't know." She lied quietly, knowing exactly where his bitterness was coming from. Suddenly, the tiny screen flashed. Cassidy watched as Jesse's eyes widened and Lily pulled her head back, looking to see if what she'd set up had worked. With a quick tug, Jesse yanked her back and pulled her down to sit on the coffee table.

Cassidy found his spot beside them, as the three of them watched the TV intently. It was an audition tape, all of which was new to Lily, but it was entirely too familiar to Cassidy and Jesse - the same spiel this man who'd played fake God had made when Jesse had called Heaven on the angel phone back in Annville. At that time, Lily was on her own way back to Worthington. One thing that was new to all of them, however, was the end.

In the frame, a gun appeared, shooting the actor dead. All three of them flinched unexpectedly as they watched, "Holy shite!" Cassidy gasped. Lily shook her head, "Wait.. They _killed_ him?" "They had to." Jesse said, his face still in shock.

Lily shook her head at him, and Jesse looked to her, "To get him to heaven. To play the part of God." With her brow narrowing, Lily nodded feebly, watching as Jesse re-winded the footage, replaying it slowly. After about the twentieth time, Cassidy glanced at his phone once more, before finally biting the bullet, "Padre," Cassidy said, Jesse's eyes glued to the screen. Lily glanced back at him briefly before Jesse tugged at her to focus forward on the television in front of them, "If you just look here-" Jesse said to Lily, his pointed finger pressing against the TV, "Jess." Cassidy said sterner, but Jesse continued at the screen, "Look, look!" He paused the frame, "I think you can make out just _barely_ make out _..._ " He tilted his head at the gun. "Jesse." Cassidy said again, "Jess!" He yelled.

Finally, Jesse turned his attention to Cassidy, clearly annoyed, " _What_ , Cassidy?" He asked. Lily stared back at Cassidy as well with a look in her eyes that pleaded him not to do it, but Cassidy's gut instinct was too strong not to fess up.

"I think Tulip's in trouble." He blurted. A weight of burden was instantly lifted off his shoulders, but the energy in the room turned like a light switch. Lily unknowingly held her breath, her eyes on her brother as she studied him. Jesse's face nor body moved an inch, "What?" He asked flatly. Cassidy leaned down, getting down on one knee in front of Lily and Jesse to come face to face with Jesse.

Cassidy's eyes were wide as he began defending himself, words falling out of his mouth without much thought to them, "I've been tryin' t'tell y'since yesterday night that I've had a bad feelin', I made all sorts o'hints n'I've been tryin', I really 'ave, Jess, but y'jus havin' been _listenin_ '." He held his hands out as he carefully criticized Jesse for being so blind.

Lily felt her blood rush to her head, knowing by the look in Jesse's eyes and the way Cassidy rambled aimlessly, it was too late for damage control - shit was going to hit the fan. Jesse's tone was so neutral and calm it was more concerning than him actually just yelling, "Well, I'm listenin' _now_ , Cassidy, tell me what the Hell is goin' on."

"I asked y'many times t-" Cassidy continued. "Cassidy." Jesse said in a slightly more forewarning tone, "Where is she?" Cassidy paused a moment, trying to figure out how he was going to explain her whereabouts without everything else that was attached to it without lying. It was impossible. In an instant, Jesse's face hardened at the same time as his hands grasped Cassidy's shirt, lifting him up by underneath his neck, " _Where is she_!" Jesse yelled in Cassidy's face in red anger. "Jesse!" Lily yelled as she stood up with them, leaning forward, her hands yanking at Jesse, "Jesse, stop!" With a shove, Jesse let go of Cassidy, who stumbled on his feet.

Lily stood in front of Jesse, "I suppose you know what's goin' on here, too!?" He spat at her angrily, "Everyone but me know's what the Hell is goin' on!?" Jesse roared. "No!" She yelled back over him, her voice cutting through his harsh tone, causing him to pause a moment as they each stared at one other. Quickly, she felt the unity they'd finally found again begin to fade away, "I have no idea what he's talking about." She lied, desperate to keep the peace between them.

Cassidy's shoulders dropped as she once again lied to her brother. He told himself not to feel guilty for her words to Jesse. It was her lie - not his.

"Now calm down a second so we can find out." Lily said slowly to Jesse, turning to Cassidy. Her lips were straight and her eyes were low, "Tell us what happened, Cassidy." She rasped lowly.

Cassidy looked from Lily to Jesse who stood just behind her, and just like that it was them against him. His eyes shifted to the ground before he breathed in, "Since yesterday-" He said shortly, "She hasn't responded t'any of my phone calls or texts." He explained, "Somethin's wrong, I jus' know it."

Glaring daggers at Cassidy for a moment he finally looked away, turning his head to his sister, Jesse spoke through his teeth, " _You_ haven't heard anything from her or know where she is?" He hissed. "No." Lily said as Jesse began marching forward. Lily felt herself shift onto her toes, half-expecting him to knock Cassidy out on his way by, but to her surprise, he merely bumped shoulders with him as he passed by.

As she followed her brother, Lily shifted her eyes to Cassidy in passing, and he wasn't sure what to read off of them. "Can you track her?" Jesse asked. Lily contemplated lying, but she knew Jesse wouldn't buy it. He knew his sister and her love for any form of being in charge too well - tracking them is something she'd always done. It was something that'd proven to be more times useful than violating, anyway.

With a nod, she cleared her dry throat, "Yea," Lily pulled her phone out, imputing Tulip's information that she'd snagged off her phone a few days before. Lily caught herself actually praying - begging whatever it was she was praying to - to just have Tulip's location show up to be right outside the front door right now so they could all just forget about all of this and have a drink together.

Unfortunately, her prayers were not answered. Tulip's location was at the mansion that Lily had left with Cassidy just the morning before.

"Find her?" Jesse asked, noticing her brow unintentionally furrow. Lily's face straightened and she looked up from her phone to Jesse and nodded, "Yea." She said shortly.

"Where?" Jesse asked, walking to the door. "I'll come." Lily insisted, not telling him the location as she stepped towards the door with him, "I want to help." Jesse stared at her a moment. "Alright." He decided, "Let's go, then." He stated. With a sudden turn, Jesse noticed Cassidy trailing behind them, "Not you." He said bitterly, "You've done enough."

Lily's mouth twitched at her brothers coldness, trying not to break her hardened face while she glanced from Jesse's glare to Cassidy's face as it dropped. Jesse walked out the door as Lily followed, the last thing Cassidy saw was Lily, her brow slightly furrowed and her eyes glued to his - a sudden soft streak to them as soon as Jesse's back had turned.


	48. One More

"Use Genesis!" Lily screamed, hearing the **swoosh** of the metallic bar covered in barbwire coming at her head as she ducked, "You've already used it a bunch of times getting us in this place!" She ducked again, "What's one more!?"

They'd searched a good portion of the luxurious property, Jesse using Genesis at every opportunity, leaving everyone scattered around the mansion frozen and useless. No one seemed to know of Tulip's whereabouts when asked.

Using the Word as carelessly as he had been the past few minutes, Jesse had everyone wrapped around his finger. That was - until they found this torture room tucked away in a back corner of the downstairs office. Before Jesse could use Genesis, a man, wearing an apron as if he was a butcher, had slipped some headphones in, unbeknownst to him that they would be a major strength for him in the fight between him and the Custers.

" **Stop**!" Jesse said, raising a hand up to him, but the man kept going, swinging the long metal bar in a quick, psychotic flurry, this time towards Jesse, " **STOP**!" He tried louder.

Lily kicked a chair towards him, tripping over a rope as she stumbled to the other side of the small room, "What the Hell, Jess!?" She shrieked. "No use with those headphones in!" Jesse yelled over the clink of himself deflecting the bar with a loose pipe he'd grabbed, his voice was clenched as he pushed against the man, "Have to be able to hear Genesis for it to work!" He grunted, getting free for a moment, "Get them out!" Jesse pushed a hanging corpse in the middle of the room towards the man, who in attempts of hitting Jesse, hit off the dead man's right arm. Jesse caught the detached limb, throwing it towards the man who dodged it, hitting Lily in the chest. She caught it, not realizing at first what it was.

With a gasp, she dropped the arm, looking for something else to better defend herself. The man managed to crack Jesse across the head with the bar, the barbwire making a good sized hole in his scalp as blood began dripping down his head and neck. Lily watched Jesse fall, all while she dodged and weaved away as best as she could, "Jesse!" She screamed, ducking down as the man swung at her head, "Jesse!" He was disoriented in the corner.

She slid back, bumping into a table while the metal, barb-wired bar caught her upper arm, ripping a jagged hole in her skin. She screamed unwillingly, watching him swing again, she wasn't anything compared to Jesse when it came to unarmed combat, but she had her moments, and she knew this had to be one of them. She waited for the perfect time and kicked upwards as hard as she could, hitting his hand that gripped the metal bar as he grunted, the barb wire wrapped metal bar flying behind him to the other side of the room.

Lily held her hand against her arm as the wound began gushing blood, rushing towards a taser wand that caught her eye. The butcher reached out, grabbing her by the shirt and tossed her behind him. With a screech, she skid across the ground, hitting the back wall with a hard _**thud**_ and leaving a streak of blood against the floor from her gash on her upper arm.

Beside him on the wall, the man picked up a chainsaw, revving it as he marched up to Lily. The sound of the chainsaw brought Jesse out of his daze.

He opened his eyes, a bit disoriented still, as he saw his sister with the wind knocked out of her on the ground while the man made his way towards her with the chainsaw. Just as the man raised the chainsaw above his head with a maniac grin, Jesse scrambled towards him,.

Jesse pulled one of the mans shoulders back, turning him around and punching him square in the face. He groaned, grasping his bloody nose as he dropped the chainsaw while it vibrated on the ground, hitting the opposite wall at Lily's feet, slicing through her boot as she pulled her leg away swiftly. With an eye roll she stared at her ruined boots, then back at her arm, covered in a thick layer of her blood. She kept her hand pressed against it strongly, looking up to Jesse fighting off the man.

Swinging as quick and fast as he could, Jesse got a few good hits in, until the man booted him hard in the chest, pushing Jesse back against a Foosball table, his back nearly breaking at the force of the push as he felt his feet lift off the ground.

From the ground, Lily watched the man snatch a crowbar from on top of the table and lift it up above his head to smash into Jesse. She clambered up onto her feet, letting go of her gaping wound on her arm and jumping up to the crowbar. She grabbed the crowbar while it was in the air in the mans grasp, pulling with all of her force as the man staggered back at her pull, twisting around to kick her off of the grip of the crow bar, all well at the same time, Jesse used the opportunity to rip a Foosball handle out of the table, smacking the man in the back many times as he could before he fell to the ground.

Jesse turned to grab the crow bar while Lily stood up at the same time the man did. Lily began clawing her hands out towards his ears, feeling the cords of the headphones graze her finger tips. Very suddenly, she noticed a baseball bat coming towards her head that the man had somehow got his hands on. Ducking too late, she was smacked in the back of the head, knocking her down as her vision went blurry.

The man stood above her, lifting the baseball bat as if to pulverize her with it, but luckily, Jesse was back up, stepping in front of the man and grabbing the bat with both of his hands, pushing against the man's push as they both grunted and finally, Jesse's strength prevailed as he shoved the man with great force into a metallic shelf.

As the man crashed into the shelf, of all sorts of torture devices and weapons fell from it, clanking loudly onto the floor.

Lily watched a katana slide on the ground towards Jesse while the man was hurrying to get back on his feet. Jesse glanced down at the katana quickly, snatched it up and concealed it behind his back before the man could see. Carefully, Jesse side stepped to the other side of the corpse that hung in the middle of the room.

With a new weapon in hand, the man lunged towards Jesse, who at perfect timing, pushed the katana through the corpse, impaling the psychopath on the other side of it, skewering them together. The murderous butcher groaned in agony as Jesse let go of the handle of the katana and stepped back, his hard eyes glaring into the man that he had impaled.

Lily stood up, her hand still against her gash in her arm as the bleeding wasn't letting up. Both Lily and Jesse panted heavily as they watched the man begin to take his last few breaths. With a quick yank, Jesse removed the earphones, " **Where is Tulip**?"

"Upstairs. Bedroom." The man said feebly as the life drained from him. Jesse briefly glanced at Lily's arm while she glanced at his head. "You alright?" He asked quickly. She nodded, "You?" Jesse couldn't be any less phased at the bleeding gash on his head as he turned sharply, heading out of the room and towards the stairs.

As Lily followed him briskly, she took off her blouse - leaving herself in her undershirt. She couldn't help but cringe as she ruined her expensive blouse, ripping it and tying it around her bleeding upper arm in efforts to clot the wound.

Her and Jesse reached the top of the stairs and rushed down the long hallway. Lily's eyes caught the room she'd almost died in just over a day before - taking a moment to reflect how much things changed in the short amount of time. The room at the end of the hallway was getting closer, and Lily wondered what exactly they were going to see on the other side as Jesse marched towards it full force before stopping in front of the door.

Watching her brother lean back, he slid his foot backwards against the marble floor in preparation of kicking the door down. Lily took a quick breath.

This was it.


	49. Dallas

Tulip had been in the mansion for a day and a half and was only finally just getting to the business she'd wanted to - divorcing her husband, Viktor.

The day earlier, she'd brought Lily here. Before she'd brought Lily into the house, she went in to face Viktor herself, breaking the ice. With her tail tucked between her legs, she admitted there was no excuse for abandoning him like she did, and that at this moment, Lily and her needed a place to be in private.

Viktor hadn't asked questions, he just asked her to promise to give him the time after whatever needed to be done was done. Tulip wasn't able to face him the first half of the day after Lily and Cassidy left. She spent the evening wandering the properly, only to receive the cold shoulder from everyone she encountered.

Finally - after a long night of restlessness, she was able to face Viktor in the morning.

With lots of time to reflect and decide on what words to say, she'd made her way into Viktor's room, ready to sit and talk it out. It was so hard, since he had been nothing but kind to Tulip and in return, she abandoned him without any closure or reason and she knew she couldn't really give him any.

It had been hours, but finally they'd come to the conclusion that closure was made proper and that a standard divorce was the best route. No more blood was needed to be shed. She hadn't been in any kind of real harm before making amends with Viktor, but she was at ease now knowing that she was at peace with Viktor and she wouldn't have (at least _his_ ) people coming after her anymore.

As if by some sick stroke of fate, the bedroom door was kicked down suddenly. Tulip and Viktor looked up from the bed they sat on to see both Lily and Jesse, storming in. "Jesse-" Tulip said breathlessly, standing on her feet as she watched him lunge towards Viktor without delay. Lily ran to Tulip's side. Her one order from Jesse was to get Tulip out safe. "You alright?" She asked Tulip, grabbing her arm, "Let's go." "No!" Tulip yelled, ripping herself from Lily's grasp, "Jesse! Stop!"

Jesse threw Viktor to the ground and kicked him in the ribs. Lily stared at Tulip, who begged Jesse to stop, knowing with that fact alone, she couldn't' have possibly been in any trouble. Lily and Tulip stared at the scene of the two men in front of them as Jesse got on his knees.

With one smooth motion, Viktor was in a tight choke hold in Jesse's arm, Viktor's face going purple. "Jesse!" Tulip yelled sternly, "You can't kill him!" No words were phasing Jesse at this point. Tulip looked to the ceiling, holding her breath as she stared back to Jesse, "He's my husband." She admitted

The air turned completely stale. Lily's eyes flickered to Tulip, before they moved slowly back to Jesse. With Viktor still in a devastating choke hold, Jesse's furious eyes moved to look up at Tulip. Unable to process her words she repeated them slowly. Feeling Viktor's pulse weaken in his hold, Jesse unwillingly loosened his grip as his face went from stone cold anger to devastation in a split second.

* * *

Tulip glanced a moment at Lily, her arm wrapped in what looked to be a shirt as the blood seaped through it. Lily had been holding her breath for longer than she even knew she could, watching Tulip speak very gently downward to Jesse. She felt her pulse in her arm as the blood from her wound still wasn't clotting, a large red blotch seeping through the fabric.

Tulip spoke very carefully, "This is where I've been." She explained, "Here. Talking to Viktor. Gettin' divorced." Suddenly, a foreign noise took over Tulip's calming words, and it was Viktor - who was still in Jesse's choke hold, a loose choke hold, but a choke hold no less, "That's right." Viktor hissed very boldly, "She's my wife. Asshole."

And just like that, Jesse, like a light switch, snapped - turning Viktor around at the same time he wound up a punch. As she knew what was happening, Tulip yelled at him in efforts to stop him, "Jesse!" As the next second, Jesse landed his fist square in Viktor's jaw. Lily and Tulip both jumped by instinct at the loud crack sound that filled the room as Jesse's fist connected to Viktor's face, knocking him out cold.

In a pure rampage, Jesse began dragging Viktor out of the room down the hallway. "Jesse!" Tulip repeated with more demand. With her heart in her throat, Tulip followed, her strong voice roaring through the massive acoustics of the high ceilings and long hallways as she desperately tried to convince Jesse to reason. Lily felt herself withdraw from the situation completely, realizing she was in way over her head - in the middle of something she really wish she wasn't and having no place in the matter, yet she followed behind Tulip, watching blankly as she tightened the fabric around her arm.

"And we were done, Jesse, remember?" Tulip spat, her tone with a hurtful bite to it, "After Dallas?" She specified, "We were **done**." Tulip's strong front was practically mirroring Jesse's and Lily wasn't too sure who's wrath to fear more at this point. Viktor was completely unconscious, being dragged down the stairs as his head hit each marble ledge on the way down.

As they approached their first group of people - who remained frozen from Jesse's use of Genesis from earlier - Tulip looked around, reveling at the sight of each person unable to move or speak. "Jesus, Jesse." She whispered unbelievably. "Tulip." Lily said in concern, watching as Jesse dragged Viktor into the torture room that the two of them had narrowly escaped out of just minutes before.

"Jesse!" Tulip yelled furiously, stomping past Lily towards the room as Lily quickly caught up to her, "Jesse!" Tulip yelled harsher. As Lily and Tulip walked into the room, Jesse was removing the katana that skewered the psychotic butcher man and the random corpse as they hung in the middle of the room.

Watching as both of the bodies hit the ground with a gut turning **_thunk_** , Tulip's tone changed very quickly, "Alright." She said calmer, "I know. I should've _told you_ I was married." Jesse was busy moving some rope around, making a couple knots and not paying any attention to Tulip. "But that's not _his_ fault." Tulip kept trying, but it was no use.

A made up mind, Jesse had a path he was following and there was nothing Tulip could say to change it. "Listen to me." Tulip demanded, stepping towards him, still not getting any recognition.

Tulip's calm and reasonable approach wasn't working and at this point she had no more fronts left. She shed every mask she wore and looked at Jesse with the true heartbreak and devastation that was filling her, "Jesse!" She said in a new tone, one that would wrench anyone's heart, "I mean it!" Her voice cracked as she choked on the lump in her throat, "Stop!"

Even that didn't phase Jesse. Lily watched as Tulip reached for the rope in his hands, "Stop!" Tulip begged, and finally, Jesse looked up at her into her shattered eyes that were pleading him to listen to her.

" **Get out**!" Jesse demanded, using Genesis. Lily's neck snapped to Jesse in shock before turning to Tulip, who was being involuntarily pulled out. "Jesse!" Lily screamed, looking at Tulip as she clawed desperately as she tried to resist, "Stop!" Lily yelled, grabbing Tulip's hand and puling her against Genesis' order, "Don't do that to her-" Jesse grabbed Lily's shoulder, yanking her away from Tulip as their hands slipped from each other's grasp. Jesse stared at Lily dead in the eye, "You said you wanted to help." He hissed as he clenched his jaw at her, "Genesis might not work on you, Lily, but I sure as Hell can still drag your ass out of here myself." He spat as Lily stared at him with wide eyes. In the distance, they heard Tulip yelling, cursing at Jesse as she was unwillingly leaving the mansion.

Jesse reached down at a rope tied to Viktor's body on the ground, "You said you wanted to help." He tossed Lily the rope in his hands, "Now are ya gonna _help_ , or not!?"


	50. Trust

_This is a long one. Doing my best to not replicate the tv word for word/scene for scene but there's some things that I feel need to remain._

 _T_ _hanks for all the reviews and feedback! They really help motivate me to push these chapters out more for y'all. :)_

* * *

Cassidy had been sitting at the apartment for a while now. He might has well have been alone, because the few times he'd knocked on Dennis's door, he just yelled in french to him and never bothered opening the door.

He'd made a pretty good dent in the tobacco stash he'd just gotten from the little market down the road a couple hours ago. As if he expected all three of them to pull up any second, Cassidy watched off the little balcony down at the road. To his delight, he saw a car that was unmistakably Tulip's pull down the road.

It was a good sign - a great sign, and he already felt so much better just at the sight of Tulip's car. In Cassidy's mind, pretty soon, the four of them would be on this very balcony sharing many of the bottles of whiskey that Cassidy had invested in earlier.

As the front door opened, Cassidy waited on the other side, his face dropping at the sight of Tulip walking in with, not Jesse and Lily, but a child no older than 12. "Tulip! Been worried s-!" Cassidy said enthusiastic at first - the sight of her alive and safe a huge relief, until he noticed the look on her face show how truly pissed she was, causing his tone of voice to trail downward mid sentence, "Sick about ye..." He finished flatly, "Who's this?" He asked, looking at the young girl in front of Tulip, who's hands rested on the child's shoulders.

" _This_ ," Tulip started, stepping all the way into the apartment as she kicked the door closed behind them, "Is my step daughter, Allie." With his eyebrows raising in shock at the statement, Cassidy stared at Tulip with his face completely dropped, before he stuttered down at the girl, "H-Hi, Allie." Cassidy said sweetly with a smile. Allie pressed her lips into a forced smile, her face not hiding the fact she was clearly not amused.

"This is Cassidy." Tulip said to Allie, "Why's he wearing sunglasses inside?" Allie asked judgmentally. Cassidy stood upright as Tulip answered, "Cause that's just Cassidy. He's a jokster - a _real_ hoot." She explained in a flat tone, "Are ya hungry?" She asked the girl.

With her face straight and her head shaking Allie said, "No." Simply. "Ok," Tulip sighed with a smile that was a true endeavor to bare, "Then... Cassdy I'm sure can find you somethin' to keep ya occupied - he knows a lot about fun. Don't ya, Cass?" With an obvious struggle to the filter he had on, Cassidy cackled, "Ha, haaa! Sure do!"

"Hmm.." Allie hummed objectively, clearly seeing through both of their facades of happiness, "C'mon," Tulip urged her as she patted her on the back, "Cass, buddy, wanna show her in the living room?" "Yea," Cassidy said side eyeing Tulip as he was suspicious of the obviously-forced, sweet tone to her voice, "Right here." He pushed Allie lightly on the back into the room as the girl looked at Dennis sleeping, her face clearly mortified at the conditions of living compared to what she was used to, "Oh!" Cassidy perked up with enthusiasm, "I jus' got Dennis this game system." He said with a smile, pointing at it and watching as Allie, unimpressed, looked from him to the gaming system on the shelf in front of the television. "Knock yerself out." He pointed at Dennis, who was snoring on the arm chair, "'Es not usin' it right now." With a smile, Cassidy backed up, closing the double doors between the living room and kitchen.

With a sigh, he spoke quietly, "So, were's Jess n'Lil?" And as he turned to look at Tulip, instead of a simple answer, he saw her fist flying straight to his face, cracking him in the nose. Cassidy fell back against the floor with a _thud_ as he groaned, clenching onto his face.

"You told him!?" Tulip screamed, "Damn it, Cassidy!" She swore, her jaw clenched as she paced back into the middle of the kitchen, getting herself away from him before she followed her impulse to kick him in the gut. Cassidy blindly reached a hand out to the floor beside him, grabbing hold of his shades that had been knocked off of him and sliding them back on as he laid back against the floor.

With another groan, Cassidy sat up, still sitting on the ground as he looked up at Tulip, his double vision focusing back to one again, "Jaysis." He whispered, his hands on his nose muffling his voice. Moving his hands from his face, he looked at the blood covering them, a trail dripping down from his nose to his chin, "Tulip." Cassidy whined, his eyebrow furrowed as he looked up at her, "I was _really_ worried about ye." "Oh, please!" Tulip closed her eyes and crossed her arms, "Cassidy you _swore_ to me that you wouldn't say _anythin_ '. I thought I could trust you!" Her tone was wavering between pissed and hurt.

Cassidy scrunched his face as he pulled his top half up, still sitting on the floor and wiping his arm across his face again, "Y'could've responded t'my many calls or texts, huh!?" Cassidy countered, as Tulip shook her head furiously, "No, I owe _nothing_ to you!" She yelled down at him on the ground, "I don't _have_ to respond to anyone, Cassidy, let alone _you_." She pointed a finger sternly at him as she spat her words out his direction, "And _now_ , my boyfriend's got my husband, who I was just simply tryin' to divorce, hanging up in a torture room as he does God only knows to him!" Tulip's voice cracked at the end as her fury took a brief pause.

Although her face was still hard, her eyes watered. "Husband?" Cassidy said before he huffed, "I'm sorry." He said, raising his brow and holding his hands out, "Fer hearin' about yer husband bein' hung up n'all that. Not sorry fer tellin' Jesse," He clarified, to which she couldn't help but laugh, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms as she stuck a hip out. "I was worried sick about ye." He whined, "Yer me good friend, Tulip." His tender words caused her face to instinctively soften a noticeable amount. She held her chin high as her eyes looked down at him sitting pathetically on the floor. He sniffled, the blood streaming from his nose lessening, "I thought y'were in trouble! Jus' wanted t'know y'were alright." He whined, "N'Lily n'Jess both didn't seem t'give a rats arse about ye." He groaned.

With a sharp exhale, and her blood pressure decreasing slightly, she rolled her head back. Her big brown eyes moved from up towards the ceiling back down at Cassidy as she dropped her head and blinked at him. Unraveling her crossed arms, she walked up to him, holding her hand out and yanking him up from the ground.

"They didn't _care_ , cos they both knew I wasn't in any trouble." "Y'weren't?" Cassidy asked, standing on his feet. "With Viktor?" Tulip asked, her back to him as she walked towards the counter, "No." She stated, snagging a mickey of whiskey sitting on the counter. "Jesse's got 'im tied up y'said?" Cassidy asked. "Yep." She said, lifting the bottle to her mouth. "Where's Lily, then?" He asked. As Tulip gulped a fair share of whiskey, she moved the bottle from her mouth with an exhale, "She's there, too." "Where?" Cassidy asked. "The torture room. Helpin' Jess."

Cassidy scrunched his face, "Wot!?" He reveled. "Well," Tulip raised her brows, swinging the mickey towards him, "Not her fault, entirely. Jesse used that fuckin' thing inside of him to get me to leave and practically threatened to kick Lily out himself if she didn't help him." Tulip took a big swig from the mickey, "Mm" She hummed with the bottle in her mouth as she raised her brows. Wincing, she moved the bottle to her side, "I hated that thing before - but now - I _really_ hate it." With his mouth wide open, Cassidy blinked a few times before turning to the kitchen table.

He snatched his coat hanging on one of the chairs and walked to the door. "Hey!" Tulip said with her brows scrunched together, "Where do you think you're goin!?" "This has blown way outta proportion." Cassidy stated, "Torture room. Husband. Tied up." He groaned, gathering himself to leave. Tulip leaned towards him and stuck a hip out as she scoffed with a grin, "Who's fault's that." With his tone genuine, Cassidy reached a hand out to Tulip, "That's why I'm goin', alright?" "Well, what are ya gonna say!?" Tulip asked curiously. "I got it." Cassidy assured softly, "Trust me." He smiled at her as the door closed between them, leaving Tulip to laugh hopelessly into the bottle of whiskey.

* * *

Both Jesse and Lily had been upstairs in the room they'd found Tulip in with Viktor for a grueling hour. Jesse hadn't said a word and Lily had given up on trying to get him to. All she could think of was Viktor hanging from his torso downstairs, surely near his end by now, and she'd be as guilty of his death as Jesse was, since she helped him hoist him up there herself. Tulip would be as mad and unforgiving to her as she would be to Jesse if she didn't find a way to compromise with her brother and get him to .

She stared briefly at the once beautiful bed, now torn apart from her ripping it apart earlier. She'd torn off a strip of the fitted sheet to replace her blood drenched blouse that wrapped around her arm, tying the strip of fabric over her raw wound. Finally, it had clotted, as she noted the red blotch seeping through the fabric tied around her arm not growing any larger.

Her glance went back on her brother, who hadn't said a word the past hour, just staring at the wedding photo of Tulip and Viktor, which was no doubt disturbing to her as well.

With a deep breath, Lily closed her eyes. Exhaustion was creeping up very quickly and the blood loss definitely didn't help. Part of her wanted to get past this grueling waiting as Jesse had a silent mental breakdown, but the other part of her wished they'd stay in this moment forever, as tense as it was, in fear of how terrible things would be after Tulip would find out they'd let Viktor die.

Hearing a creek at the door, Lily felt her stomach drop in panic at who or what they would have to face on the other side. As if he was made of stone, Jesse hadn't even flinched from his position. When it was Cassidy's face that peaked in with a grin, Lily sighed in relief, and leaned back again.

"Cassidy." She huffed, her voice hoarse as she cleared her throat, "Scared the shit out of me."

When Cassidy walked into the room, it was like hitting a wall. The tension in the air was so thick, you could cut a knife with it if you'd tried. "What happened?" Cassidy asked, glancing only for a brief second towards Jesse, who's back remained to him, before his eyes glued to Lily, "You alright?" He asked quietly as he noted their filthy and torn clothing, along with the scattered bruises, cuts and trails of dried blood all over them.

Lily swallowed, her eyes low as she hardly glanced at him and nodded feebly. She remained leaning against the bedside table beside Jesse, her arms crossed as she ran her hand through her hair. Cassidy didn't have to ask to know the crusted blood covering her was all hers, he felt himself swallow a lump in his throat as he took a careful step back, sitting on the bed.

"Long day, eh?" Cassidy said softly, his eyes catching Lily's one boot, torn practically in half before he looked up at Jesse.

After Cassidy talking for several minutes to seemingly himself, there was a staleness to the air. Suddenly, a foreign sound filled the room as Lily looked up at her brother with wide eyes as he finally spoke for the first time, "Can I ask you something, Cassidy?" His voice was hoarse and unfamiliar.

"O'course." Cassidy said softly, "That's why I'm 'ere."

"After lyin' to me all this time." Jesse began, still staring at the wedding photo in his hand, "Since Dallas. Probably since Annville, Hell, the Casino. What makes you think I'd believe anything you say to me right now?"

Lily blinked at her brother, his body and eyes not wavering from place of staring at the wedding photo of Viktor and Tulip. Cassidy huffed at their side, still sitting on the bed as he dropped his head, rubbing the back of his neck, "I didn't _mean_ t'hide anythin' from ye, padre." Cassidy said sincerely, looking up at him with apologetic eyes.

"Lie to my face?" Jesse rasped sourly, staring with blank eyes towards the picture frame in his hands, "Go behind my back?" He was talking so quietly it was getting hard to hear him, "Now you're here to be a friend. To be the _hero_ and talk me outta doin' this."

Cassidy shook his head, "Not t'be one t'make excuses, mate, but in this particular situation, I was put between a rock n'a hard place-" Jesse cut Cassidy off, finally moving both his body and his eyes for the first time in what felt like a lifetime, "You didn't answer my question." Jesse said in a tone matching his eyes - detached from emotion.

Right beside her, Lily felt Jesse's blank front turn offensive, causing her heart to skip a beat in worry of what his impulse was telling him to do as she studied his face intently. To her other side, Lily looked as Cassidy stood up to his feet, as his soft and supportive front switched off to mirror Jesse's offensive one, "Well maybe y'should remind me, then?" Cassidy challenged in a way that, as she struggled not to show it, made Lily very nervous.

Lily pushed herself off the nightstand she had been leaning against, worried that the two of them were about to break into a full out brawl the tensity was so strong between them, "Guys..." She said lightly, holding her hands up loosely as if she could ever stand as a barrier between them if they did decide to let fists fly.

"Why would I trust _you_? Why would _anyone_ trust you?" Jesse hissed a little louder. Lily turned her head to him slowly, her face and tone of voice the same calm, "Jess." She murmured softly, feeling Jesse begin to push against her hand.

With Cassidy and Jesse not breaking eye contact, Jesse began spitting hurtful words at him, raising the level of tensity even higher, "You're just a lying, fornicating, useless-" Lily's brow narrowed as she tilted her head, her brothers cruel words twisting her heart strings for how they must've made Cassidy feel, "Jesse." She said sterner, turning her back to Cassidy and facing Jesse completely, a movement to which caused Jesse to push harder against her as he continued, "Junkie, vampire, blood-suckin' piece of shit-"

Lily stepped closer to her brother, "Jesse Custer!" She yelled, pushing him back, "That is _enough_." Her voice almost sounded like his as she pushed him harder. He tore his eyes from Cassidy standing behind her to his sister, his heart racing with rage and his face going red as he panted like a wild animal, "You're upset." Lily said carefully, keeping her tone as serious as possible, "That's _fine_. But Cassidy has nothing to do with your relationship with Tulip. Don't blame him for-" "I don't trust _anything_ he says." Jesse spat, pointing a finger to Cassidy, "And I have a pretty hard time believin' you didn't know anythin', either!" Jesse said, moving his finger to point accusingly at Lily.

She couldn't say anything, she kept her face flat. It was obvious Jesse was beyond heartbroken. He was emotionally unstable. The only person in the world he trusted, the love of his life, had sideswiped him in a way that left him completely devastated, and this was his own unique way of showing it. If he couldn't trust the one person he'd trust with everything he was, how could he trust anyone else?

From behind Lily, Cassidy spoke, his consoling and soft tone had twisted into a rough and raw growl, "Yer right, Jesse." He said woefully, "I warn people o'that all th'time but most time's they just don't believe me."

Lily felt like a stranger was talking as she turned herself around, opening up to be able to look at Cassidy again. His voice so stranger, she had to look at him to make sure it was till him that stood behind her. Her hardened face dropped as she listened to his variation of voice. His ghastly eyes were stuck to Jesse, apparent hurt inside of them, "I'm all those things n'more. Wotever's in th'recipe fer the world's largest prick, I've got it." He owned in miserable confidence. His self-pity made Lily even more sad for him and she wondered if that was what his motive was as she caught her brow furrowing."Greedy?" He continued, "Ya. Self obsessed? You bet. Jealous?" He fluttered his eyes dramatically, "Y'know wot, though, padre?" He asked deviously, "That's gotta be the big difference between us two."

Lily was surprised to only hear Jesse's deep breath from his side as he listened to Cassidy, "Cause, see," Cassidy continued, in a split second his hurt eyes hardening into a glare so sinister it sent a chill down both Lily and Jesse's spine, "If I was in yer situation" He bared his teeth as he hissed through them angrily, "-if some _muppet_ had 'is hands on my girl-" He paused, and Lily felt her throat go dry and her brow narrow as she tried to understand his angle, "I'm not ashamed to admit it - I wouldn't be very restrained at all."

In both confusion and betrayal, Lily stared at Cassidy. He'd known Jesse was in a very vulnerable state. Saying something that practically persuaded him into following his aggressive instincts was just plain malicious - it was almost as if Cassidy wanted him to fuck things up. Both Lily and Jesse stared at Cassidy, not knowing what to say.

"I'm not 'ere t'tell y'wot t'do or t'be a hero. I'm 'ere t'let _yew_ know that no matter wot y'end up doin' that I am wit'ye, padre." Cassidy said simply, straightening his mouth.

Hesitant to react, Lily felt conflicted with emotions. Afraid to add anything to the whirlwind of emotions, Lily swallowed the lump in her throat. She breathed in sharply as she turned to her brother to perform damage control, "Jess-" Lily started, before he interrupted her, "You should leave now." Jesse said flatly to Lily, "I have to do this on my own." His tone was impassive, worrying Lily greatly. "No." She said, stepping in front of him as she lowered her head to try and get him to look in her eyes, "Jesse, you don't have to do _anything_ alone." "Lily," Jesse inhaled sharply, finally looking at her. His eyes were cold and unfamiliar, "The Word may not work on you - but it sure as Hell works on Cassidy." He stared at her with a glare of detachment, "Don't make me put Cassidy in another _rock and hard place,"_ He mocked Cassidy's words, "-and have him drag your ass out of here."

Biting her lip with a huff, she shifted her eyes to the window. Feeling both Cassidy and Jesse stare at her, she didn't move. Her arms were crossed and she held her breath for a moment, thinking carefully how to deal with this. She couldn't leave him, especially not after Cassidy's words of so-called-wisdom, "No." Lily finally said, stepping slowly towards him, "Jesse, I'm not leaving you. If you do this-" Jesse looked to Cassidy speaking in the blood curdling tone with no delay or interest of hearing his sister out, " **Get her out of here.** "

Lily glanced at Cassidy, who unwillingly began walking towards her. She looked back to Jesse, doing her best to move away from Cassidy as he approached her, "Tulip will _never_ forgive you." Her voice cracked slightly as she did her best to influence her brother out of the sinister advise Cassidy had just dropped, "She said so herself-" She side eyed Cassidy as she jumped over the bed to get away from him, "You two weren't even _together_ when they met. Tulip said all day today they were working on the divorce. Just let her _finish_ it and be done with all of this." Lily begged.

Jesse didn't have any patience or heart to listen to any more. He glared at Cassidy and yelled louder, **"I said get her out of here. Now!"** Lily's eyes flashed to Cassidy, who felt his stomach drop, unable to control himself as in an instant he leaped at her with great force due to Jesse's urging command.

When he got his hands on her, she was shoved into an obviously expensive, antique armoire that was against the wall. With a groan, Lily winced at the forceful impact, the armoire's wooden front now baring a large crack in it. As Jesse watched, his face furrowed a slight moment, **"Don't hurt her."** He added for good measure, realizing Lily's stubbornness mixed with Cassidy's unintentional strength may be a deathly combination.

"I didn't mean to." Cassidy murmured regretfully, looking at her scrunched up face as she groaned again. His heart ached, wishing so badly he wasn't subjected to be in this position. Quickly, Cassidy reefed her arms, pulling her into him and lifting her over his shoulder. "Jesse!" She yelled, raising her head up to look at her brother, who was she was getting further and further away from as Cassidy headed for the door. With a grunt, Lily whipped her head back towards Cassidy, "Put me down!" She yelled at him as she squirmed, "Do you hear me?!" Lily yelled the loudest he'd heard her voice at him while she clawed and kicked, clenching her jaw as her tone of yelling was both full of betrayal and fury, " _Proinsias_ _Cassidy_ \- you put me down _right_ now!" Of course, her yelling and demanding, regardless of using his full name, had no response from Cassidy - other than his groaning in frustration that he had no control over himself.

As they approached the door of the bedroom, Lily looked back up towards her brother. A desperate look in her eyes as the door frame came into sight. Reaching her hands out she clenched onto the door frame, "Jesse!" Feeling the resistance, Cassidy hardly had to put in any extra strength to yank her grip off as he continued pacing down the hallway.

Over his shoulder, Cassidy felt her kicking and punching as he listened to her scream the rest of the dreadful walk out of the house - her voice echoing throughout the hallways. When he kicked open the front door and they walked outside, the tone of her yelling flattened drastically, no longer having the acoustics of the giant house to carry her voice.

From the bedroom upstairs Jesse watched out the window as Cassidy, with Lily kicking and screaming over his shoulder, tried to get her into Tulip's car. When Cassidy placed her down off his shoulder to put her into the passenger side of the car, she wiggled free, "Lily!" Jesse heard Cassidy yell, groaning in frustration as he ran up to her. She felt his arm wrap around her waist behind her as she slid back into his chest. Cassidy felt her fold a bit in his arms, "You know I can't help this." He groaned in her ear.

With a choppy breath, Lily stared up at the bedroom, looking up at her brother for a moment. There she stood, all tattered and bruised - literally shedding blood, sweat and tears to help her brother with this situation and he just had her dragged out like this. She felt a wave of frustration and fury all over again. She began kicking and screaming trying desperately to get closer to the house again as Cassidy easily swept her up, bringing her back to the car.

Jesse watched as Cassidy placed her down and grabbed both of her shoulders while her back was pressed against the passenger's side of Tulip's car, giving her a shake. Jesse couldn't hear what they were saying - but he wondered.

With a grave stare, Lily looked up at Cassidy, "If Jesse kills Viktor because of your ignorant choice of words back there.." She bared her teeth and pointed a finger up towards the bedroom Jesse was standing in. She paused there a moment, searching his eyes for something, "If he listens to your influence Cassidy - Tulip's going to leave him, and, _trust_ me, Cassidy - I'm _never_ going to forgive you." She promised.

He mirrored her aggression, baring his teeth right back, "That up there?" He pointed an arm back at the house, one hand still pressed her back on her shoulder as his eyes didn't waver from staring into hers, "That was _me_." He snarled, "Bein' honest. Get used to it cos I'm not lyin' or hidin' _anything_ anymore. It's jus' done a world o'harm more than anythin'!"

Without anything to say, Lily stared up at him a moment, her face still hard as she finally turned to Tulip's car, getting into the passenger seat and closing the door. With a quick glance, Cassidy looked up to Jesse in the window before getting into the drivers side to take Lily back to the apartment to face Tulip. With a choppy exhale, Lily closed her eyes as her shoulders dropped - hurt that after everything that they'd gone through today, she'd have to tell Tulip she failed.


	51. Worth It

While Cassidy and Lily began driving, the first few minutes were quiet. Finally, Cassidy broke the silence, "I'm sorry." He said, "For yankin' y'out of there like that, that is." He clarified, "Not sorry fer tellin' Jess." Lily sighed, her eyes closed, "Wow." She said flatly, "An apology of the ages, Cassidy." She groveled. "I didn't want t'do any o'that." Cassidy said genuinely, ignoring her snide remark, "Listenin' t'ye kick n'scream like that - I didn't enjoy it at all. I can't believe he did that t'me. T _'you._ " He said in a hurt manner.

Without any energy left in her, she sighed, "Yea.." She swallowed the lump in her throat, passing a quick glance to him before staring back out the window.

"Tulip told me she wasn't in any kind o'trouble." Cassidy groaned lowly with his eyes moving from the road to her for a moment, "Yet 'ere y'are, all tattered n'bruised. Doesn't look like no trouble t'me." He shook his head and Lily raised a brow with a chuckle at his effort to try and persuade her he was right all along, "Tulip _was_ right. There was no trouble. Until Jesse was thrown into the equation." She countered, favoring her argument. She sighed, glancing at the street lights, "Leave it to Jesse to find trouble where there shouldn't be." Lily groaned.

Not long after they'd made it back to the apartment. When the front door handle to the apartment began to jiggle, Tulip couldn't help but stand up from the kitchen table she was sitting at. As she saw Cassidy walk in, Lily stepped into the apartment from behind him. Not only was her image shocking - her clothes ripped, her skin covered in filth and dried blood - but her spirit was visually deflated. She was obviously emotionally and physically exhausted.

Cassidy closed the door behind them as Lily looked at Tulip dreadfully.

"Jesus, Lil." Tulip gasped as she paced quickly towards her. Tulip grabbed her shoulders, looking her up at down, "You alright? What do ya need? What happened?" Lily smiled feebly, "I've been worse." With dewy eyes, Tulip laughed nervously, "Yea." She nodded, her smile fading quickly as she cleared her throat, "Here." She pulled at Lily to sit at the kitchen table as she quickly ran towards the washroom. Cassidy placed his hands in his pockets as he stood beside Lily, watching her wince slightly as she lifted her legs onto the chair in front of her, letting out a sigh as her body relaxed.

Tulip came back in a flash, a first aid kid in her arms as she slammed it on the kitchen table and scrambled through it.

"What happened? Where's Jesse? Did you talk him out of it? Did _Cassidy_ talk him out of it?!" Tulip asked as if Cassidy wasn't standing right there.

"Hmph." Lily laughed halfheartedly. Tulip's busy hands that were sifting through the first aid kit stopped at the same time she looked up to Lily with wide, concerned eyes, "Well that doesn't sound so reassuring." Tulip whined, her eyes flickering to Cassidy quickly before she continued to grab things from the messy first aid kit.

Lily rubbed her face and looked to Tulip sympathetically, "I'm sorry, Tulip." With her lips pursed,"Cassidy really _did_ say a lot of things." She said more genuinely - not lying but not being straightforward, either. And Tulip caught that, of course. Her eyes glanced at her quickly before she removed the ripped blouse around Lily's upper arm, the fabric and dry blood stuck to the raw wound. Lily winced, catching Tulip's questioning eyes. "Barb wire wrapped around a metal bar caught me." Lily explained quickly before clearing her throat quick.

"So," Tulip said, bending to get eye to eye to examine Lily's wound, "These _things_ Cassidy said. What were they?" Lily shrugged her one shoulder, "Lots. You know how he talks."

"Wot's that suppose t'mean?" Cassidy chimed in, looking down at them as stepped close to them, staring down at the two of them as he was in the middle. Tulip tilted her head up quickly, glaring at Cassidy and unknowingly clenched her hands in anger at Cassidy's voice as Lily silently scrunched her face in pain at Tulip's tight squeeze against her fresh wound on her upper arm, "It means you're a big fuckin' _idiot_ and don't know _how_ to talk!" Tulip squeezed extra hard at the end as she spat upward towards Cassidy," _Ow_!" Lily said in more annoyance than pain, flinching as she sat up straight and grabbed Tulip's hands with her free hand, "Fuck, Tulip. _Jesus_ Fuck!" Lily groaned in pain as she stared down at her wound around her arm. In an instant, it had opened up again under Tulip's angry grasp and the alcohol burned into it.

"Shit." Tulip hissed quietly, letting go of Lily's arm, "Shit. Shit. **_Shit_**. Sorry, Lil! I don't know what's wrong with me." Lily looked at her arm, blood surfacing again as it began dripping a steady stream onto the floor. She growled annoyingly, "You know how long that took me to clot this fucking thing?" Lily spat bitterly, snagging some gauze from the table as she tried not to drip blood onto the table top while she reached. By the time she'd sat back down she'd already regretted her harsh tone towards Tulip - regardless of the pain. With Lily's face softening as she glanced at Tulip, Tulip saw that, knowing she hadn't meant to sound so harsh towards her.

As this was happening, Cassidy first watched as the blood pooled out of the open cut, then drizzle down her arm, dripping to the ground. It glistened a beautiful crimson and, sure, it smelt amazing, but oddly for once he felt no urge for it. He was confused. Cassidy cautiously took a step back, only by habit, as he continued to watch the steady stream of red pour out, waiting for his instincts to take over and feel the familiar feeling of temptation - but it didn't happen. Soon he realized the cautious step back hadn't been necessary at all.

With too much curiosity in him, Cassidy felt the need to push his limits, "Here." He said calmly, shifting his weight and stepping back towards her, grabbing a fresh cloth on the table and dampening it slightly. He wiped her arm, staring at the deep crimson turn lighter into more of a pink as he wiped it around.

As Lily and Tulip talked, Cassidy zoned out. He stared at the blood as he cleaned, not feeling any difficulty with his self control. Breathing in deeper, he smelt it the most he'd ever willingly breathed when her blood was around. There was no need to hold his breath this time. As he inhaled again, he caught himself in the moment - as if he was searching for the impulse to arise, almost as if he was _hoping_ for the awful temptation he had hated so badly to come back. It felt unnatural to be numb to it now, and for some reason, it bothered him more.

Lily looked from the wound up to Cassidy, pulling him out of his train of thought inside his head, "It's really deep." She huffed, unaware of the mental struggle he was going through, before looking back down at it as she watched him lift the cloth, the area around now clean as it began to pool out of the opening again. Cassidy pressed the cloth back against it immediately. She sighed, "I need stitches." He continued to keep pressure against it as looked down at her. She tilted her head, "I'll go to the hospital in a bit. Once Jesse comes back."

Tulip scrunched her brow, "I thought you were sketched out about usin' your ID for anything like that?" She asked, "Hence the weird, private doctor the other day?" Lily nodded, "Yea, I'm not about to give my name anywhere with Beneke likely on my case." She sighed, "Just need to find the right person." Tulip raised a brow, "You mean one willing to be paid off to do the services without the paperwork?" With a smile, Lily nodded as she closed her eyes, "Now you're getting it." Cassidy thought on it, "I'll come wit'ye. Could use a few bags o'blood anyway."

There was silence that hung between them. Leaning back in her chair again, Lily felt her arm pulsing as the blood kept pushing out against the damp cloth Cassidy pressed against her. In front of them, Tulip sat. An empty mickey of whiskey and a blown up first aid kit scattered on the table between them. Lily caught Tulip's eyes as she scrunched her brow narrowly, "Why'd you leave him there?" Tulip asked with a lump in her throat.

With her head shaking, she leaned forward as much as she could with Cassidy's grip around her arm towards Tulip, "I didn't _choose_ to. He _made_ me. Well," Lily rolled her eyes slightly, shrugging a shoulder as she slowly shifted her head towards Cassidy, "He made _him_ make me."

"What do ya mean?" Tulip asked. With his voice low and showing obvious sorrow, Cassidy explained, "Jess used Genesis on me to drag her out of there." He kept his eyes fixed on the cloth that began remembering Jesse demanding him to get her out, leading to Cassidy unwillingly leap at her with more force than he would have ever intended. The image of Lily's face scrunched into a wince and the sound of the groan she made as her breath escaped her replayed in his memory, along with one crucial detail... Jesse's voice played in his head as he stared down at Lily's arm, ' **Don't hurt her'** Jesse had added.

That had to have been why he wasn't feeling any urge. "Huh." Cassidy said out loud involuntarily. "What?" Lily asked, looking up at him. "Huh?" He repeated as a question this time. With his eyebrows raised, he looked down at Lily who narrowed her brows up to him in confusion. Cassidy shook his head, "Nothin'."

"Jesse _did_ that?" Tulip asked hurtfully. "Yep." Lily said, looking back towards Tulip, "I would've _never_ left if he hadn't done that." Her voice was a little grave, causing Tulip to be a bit more concerned, "You think he's gonna-" Tulip's voice cut off.

"He wasn't listening to anything I said, either." Lily explained, "We tied Viktor up. Jesse stared at him a while, waiting for him to come back to consciousness, and finally, I convinced Jesse to leave him for a bit. Clear our heads. He didn't say a word to me, just walked straight up to the room we found you in. Grabbed a wedding photo of you and Viktor. And stared at it for about an hour in complete silence like a psychopath. Until Cassidy came. Then shit went sideways." She rubbed her forehead with her free hand.

Glancing at Lily up and down, Tulip suddenly felt old, a feeling she didn't have often. Seeing Lily all battered up the way she was, and Tulip looking to Lily for assurance - it made her feel like Lily wasn't the little sister figure she'd always been to her. Lily grabbed Tulip's shoulder, "He loves you more than anything in this world." She assured, swaying in exhaustion, "He'll make the right decision. I know he will." She said, thankful that when she said it out loud she sounded a lot more confident than she felt on the inside.

* * *

It hadn't been more than another hour before the front door opened. Lily, Cassidy and Tulip all sat at the kitchen table as they looked up simultaneously. Unable to hide her nerves, Tulip shot up from the kitchen table to her feet, while Lily lifted her heavy head from resting in her hands to see her brother walking in.

On the other side of the table from Lily sat Cassidy, his eyes glued to Jesse as well. Tulip took only two cautious steps towards Jesse, who before even acknowledging all of them, turned to the fridge, popping himself a beer - celebratory, no doubt.

"Jesse." Tulip finally found it in her to choke out with a hard bite to her tone, "What did you do to him?" She asked gravely, unable to refrain her eyes from welling up.

As he picked at the beer bottle label in his hand, Jesse kept his head away from them, "I took him down." He said flatly. Tulip unintentionally flinched at the news, and Cassidy's eyes flickered from Tulip's horrified stance to Lily who couldn't even bare to look at Cassidy as she lowered her head back into her hands. Her mind went blank - not knowing what to expect to go down in front of her at this moment, and wishing that if she couldn't see maybe it wouldn't be true.

"You what?" Tulip's hard front melted away in a fair instant, her voice cracking a bit as she asked what she really didn't want to know.

"I took him down." Jesse repeated, equally as unemotionally attached as he was the first time he'd said it, swigging from the beer bottle. There was a painful staleness to the air, and suddenly, Tulip gasped in for air as she had been holding her breath for some time now.

Suddenly, the double doors to the living room opened - and out stepped a young girl. "Allie." Tulip choked out sternly, "Go back into the living room."

It took all of her energy to lift her head, but Lily did - catching the concerned eyes of the young girl standing in the doorway of the living room before she spun around and slammed the living room doors behind her.

"Who's that?" Jesse asked. Tulip looked up at Jesse, her broken front turning to pure rage as she bared her teeth and hissed as she talked through them, "Viktor's daughter." Tulip thought of all things _that_ would strike a nerve of his, but Jesse just nodded, as if he could care less.

Stiffening upright, Lily's heart sank as she clasped her hands together - her elbows on the table as she rested her face against her hands a moment while she looked first to Cassidy - a shameful and broken look on his face, before she moved her eyes up to Tulip facing Jesse.

Slowly, Lily stood to stand closer to Tulip.

"You son of a bitch." Tulip hissed brokenheartedly, Lily approaching her carefully against the wall as she reached a hand out to her shoulder. Jesse's eyes flickered to the girls first, looking at Cassidy briefly before he stared back at them, "What?" He asked, to which they scrunched their brows at, "Why's everyone's faces like that." Jesse asked. "I took him down." He said in a different tone,

Tulip pretty much choked on her breath. She closed her eyes and paused before talking slowly, leaning her head towards him, "Took him down _how_ , Jesse?" She asked.

"I went back downstairs." Jesse waved his beer bottle as he explained nonchalantly, "Cut the rope. Took him down. How else do you want me to say it?" He shrugged a shoulder, walking closer towards the three of them.

Cassidy collapsed back into his chair with a sigh and a chuckle of relief. Suddenly, the heavy and tense density of the air lifted in the room.

Feeling the affects of emotional whiplash hit her like a truck - Tulip's brow furrowed, and she was unable to control the tears from welling up in her eyes, "What?" She barely whispered out.

"I'm sorry I lost it like that. I was just so angry. Wanted to get some justice out of it." Jesse explained as if it warranted his behavior. He drank from his beer bottle, approaching Tulip and Lily, reaching into his shirt pocket, "Settled for divorce papers." He said as he threw a stack of folded and rolled papers onto the kitchen table.

Feeling her body relax, Lily starred at the papers as she slid her feed back against the kitchen floor, her back hitting the wall not far behind her as she was able to rest her heavy weight against it. Tulip threw her arms around Jesse, the two of them weaving together as if they were the only people left on the planet.

Cassidy looked at Lily, who stared at her brother and Tulip as they embraced while she leaned against the wall, unable to stifle a sigh of relief at the sight. Although the worst of her had been wiped down, she was still very haggard and it seemed like every blink her eyes were getting closer to shutting for good. She did her very best to keep them as open as possible, knowing that every inch of pain and every dent on her was worth it for this moment.

Catching Cassidy's eyes quickly, Lily pushed up from the wall, walking back towards the hallway into her bedroom as she left her brother and Tulip in their moment. There was no delay on Cassidy trailing behind her, "Hey." He said quietly, "Y'think that little girl needs a ride home to 'er Da?" With a slow blink, Lily shook her head, "I don't know." She said flatly.

Looking at her up and down once, he took a quick breath, but instead of saying one of the many other things on his mind, he said something else, unable to expose her to any more mental strain for the time being, "I'm gonna go take 'er home quick." With a soft nod, Lily cleared her throat again, "Alright." She mumbled.

With a soft smile, Cassidy walked towards the bedroom door. "Cassidy-" She managed to round up the last of her energy. "Yea?" He asked, turning towards her as he held the bedroom door open. "Fuck you." She stated simply.

All of the mental and physical strain they'd all been through today was unnecessary - and in Lily's mind - it was _all_ because he'd opened his mouth to Jesse.

His shoulder dropped as he let go of the door handle and turned to her completely. "You can be mad at me all y'want." He pointed his finger at her sternly and above his shade frames, he saw his brow narrow angrily, "But unlike _you_ , I don't take lyin' n'keepin' secrets lightly." He jabbed.

She closed her eyes and found it in her to throw her head back slowly and chuckle mockingly at his words before he closed the door behind him.

With a heavy arm, she reached out and locked the bedroom door, taking a couple steps back with a deep breath. As she finally had a moment to herself, her ears rang, and she couldn't move. Lily just stood there, in the middle of the room with her eyes shut. Shuffling back after a few seconds, she found the bottom of the bed frame, hardly leaning back before her legs buckled and she collapsed backwards onto the springy and squeaky mattress, her legs hanging off the end of the bed as her feet hardly lifted off the ground.

With his blood boiling at her attitude, Cassidy stormed into the kitchen, where Tulip and Jesse still stood embracing one another, making Cassidy even more angry. How was it that this whole situation was _their_ shitstorm of their relationship's problems, yet _he_ was the one in the dog house?

"I'm takin' the girl back 'ome to 'er da." Cassidy claimed shortly, placing his hands on his hips as his eyes wandered anywhere but the spectacle of the two of them embracing.

With a dopey smile, Tulip nodded, wiping a tear from her cheek, "Thanks, Cass." She said genuinely. At her soft tone, Cassidy's eyes flickered to Tulip's. Immediately, he felt himself cool a bit at Tulip's praise, gazing straight into her thankful eyes.

 _This_ was what all of the mess was for - to see her safe and happy - and she was, so he should be as well.

He took a deep breath, drove Viktor's daughter home in silence all while in the meantime coming to peace with Lily's anger towards him - knowing that, especially in the condition Lily was in now, it was only a very short matter of time before she came begging him for his blood.


	52. Names

Cassidy had ran Viktor's daughter home in Tulip's car and turned straight back. When he arrived back at the apartment, it was silent. There was a faint glow of light coming from underneath Tulip and Jesse's bedroom, but other than that, it was dark every other corner of the apartment.

He walked up to the bedroom Lily was in and listened briefly, hearing her faint breathing, a steady pace as she was no doubt sleeping.

Stubborn, he straightened his mouth and turned his head away from the door, walking towards the whiskey stash in the kitchen. Internally, he decided to wait until she came to him, and found himself comfortable with a bottle of whiskey among other things in the living room.

After a couple of hours, Cassidy's patience was wearing thin. He cursed his stubbornness against hers, not wanting to be the one to give in. A sudden mortifying realization c he imagined maybe the only reason she hadn't come crawling to him yet was because she couldn't. She was really exhausted, hurt... what if she was too out of it?

His ego was fading as worry set in. He smashed his cigarette into the mountain of butts in the ashtray on the coffee table, "Shite." He swore angrily to himself.

Although Jesse was no doubt plenty occupied, Cassidy still took caution making his way to Lily's room.

With a quick glance to Jesse and Tulip's bedroom door, he knew there was no way he could knock. Contemplating breaking the doorknob with a simple tug, he shook his head, realizing that would most likely make more noise than knocking would. Slipping his phone out of his back pocket, he texted her, hearing the vibration on the other side of the wall. After a good minute, he sighed, rolling his eyes and calling her phone instead, once again hearing it vibrate on the other side of the wall, but ending in her voicemail.

Taking a step back, he placed his hands on his hips, studying the door. In the corner of his eye, the drapes waving in the night breeze caught his eyes - sparking an idea.

Next thing he knew, he was climbing through the window of the bedroom Lily slept in. As he climbed in as quiet as possible, he walked up to the bed. She laid with her feet still on the ground, and her upper body on the bed, fully clothed and if he didn't hear and see her breathing - he would've been concerned she was dead.

He sat at her side, "Hey." He whispered very quietly, with no response. "Hey." He said again shaking her. When she opened her eyes, it felt like she'd closed them for a split second. They were bloodshot, with an unfamiliar glaze to them as they looked up at Cassidy. Slowly, they adjusted to him hovering over her. She raised her hands to her eyes, rubbing them while she groaned, a little too loudly, feeling as stiff as a corpse. "Shh." He hushed her softly, "Jesse n'Tulip are on the other side of th'wall. Y'need t'move up. Lay down properly." He suggested, sitting her up by lifting her with his arms, her eyes were squinted and her shoulders raised in apparent stiffness. "Yer hurting." Cassidy said in more of a statement than a question, his arm around her to hold her up.

Lily breathed in, speaking very slowly, "I can't tell if it's cause ...I got the shit beat out of me... or... my newly developed... annoying... self-diagnosed dependence on your... blood." Her hoarse voice said flatly. "Well," Cassidy said lowly, "A combination, most likely." He grunted quietly as he pushed himself off the bed, "You shouldn'be riskin' it." He purposely worded to ensure she'd believe it was her idea. She began breathing slowly again, slipping into slumber easily.

"Hey." He said again to her, shaking her. "Cassidy." She whispered, her eyes still closed as her brow furrowed, "I'm exhausted. _Please_. Just leave me alone." With a calm breath, Cassidy lowered his head down to hers, "You need this." He hissed. Lily swallowed, his breath in her ear.

The breath in she took hurt her ribs more than even just a minute ago, "Alright." She huffed, expecting a glass of water at least. But with her simple word, Cassidy had already found his teeth graze his palm, breaking his skin and placing his palm to her mouth, catching her by surprise.

Her face scrunched in shock just as quickly as it softened into instant euphoria.

Her body went numb and she felt like she was floating in pure ecstasy, he rested her back while she inhaled deeply. After several minutes she opened her eyes much wider. He could practically see the bloodshot in them begin to dissipate, as she glared up at him.

"I'm still mad at you." She stated. His eyes were low as he moved towards her, "Yea, yea..." He groaned, pulling her towards him and leaning in as he pressed his lips hard against hers. Without any resistance she kissed him back, wrapping herself around him as their clothes shed themselves as quick as her stubborn front had just lasted.

Without having to worry about wanting to hurt her in any way due to Jesse's command from earlier, Cassidy used the opportunity to push limits he hadn't felt comfortable to with her before in fear of terrible instinct taking over.

But now, he didn't have to worry about that, once again - thanks to her brother.

* * *

When Lily woke up in the morning she sat up quickly, feeling completely rejuvenated. She checked her phone - she'd had a solid 10 hour sleep. Turning around in the bed, she noticed Cassidy was nowhere to be seen. She leaned back in the bed, reaching a hand to her forehead as she pushed her hair back, remembering the night before and wondering at times if her and Cassidy hadn't been too loud and careless.

She thought maybe so - since Cassidy was missing. Maybe Jesse had killed him and that's why he was gone. Thankfully, her train of thought was disrupted as she heard an unfamiliar sound - laughter. In the kitchen, she heard Tulip, Jesse and Cassidy's voices, contradicting her worst-case-scenario thought of Jesse filleting Cassidy.

Wiping her her eyes, Lily got out of the bed and passed herself a glance in the mirror beside the door before she left the room. Her skin bared no blemishes, her awful cut on the side of her arm was completely healed and the dark bags under her eyes were nowhere to be seen. With her robe around her she opened the bedroom door, a whiff of warm and sweet consuming her as she inhaled.

As she walked down the hallway into the kitchen, Tulip stood at the stove, a spatula in hand as her smile moved from staring at Jesse and Cassidy sitting at the table to Lily.

"Lily!" Tulip sang, walking towards the coffee machine, "Mornin'! Perfect timin', breakfast is almost ready." Lily felt like she was dreaming, she stepped slowly towards Tulip, a nervous smile spreading across her face as she pushed her hair off her face and crossed her arms, "What's going on?" She asked suspiciously, her eyes shifting quickly to Jesse and Cassidy as they chatted at the table before looking back at Tulip.

"What do you mean?" Tulip asked, handing her a cup of coffee. Lily stared down at the pancakes Tulip was making, glancing to Jesse and Cassidy sitting at the kitchen table, Jesse reading the paper and Cassidy with a cup of coffee and a smoke in his hand as if this whole scene was a regular thing. Lily breathed in, realizing she should just play along and not ruin the illusion of the perfect moment. She smiled, "Nothing." Lily said as she shook her head, leaning against the stove beside Tulip.

Tulip lowered her brow, " _What_?" She repeated sternly. Raising her brow, Lily shrugged her shoulder, "Just weird to see you cooking something." Tulip scrunched her brow, "I _cook_." She spat, playfully smacking Lily in the side with the spatula. Lily flinched, spilling some of her coffee onto the ground. "Just haven't had time recently for _obvious_ reasons." Tulip justified flipping a pancake while Lily wiped the coffee up on the ground.

When she stood back up, Lily cheekily raised her brows to Tulip, who gave her a warning glance, raising the spatula again as Lily quickly stepped away from her, "I didn't say anything!" Lily said. "Didn't need to." Tulip hissed with a smirk, turning back to the pancakes.

Lily noted everyone all dressed and cleaned up as she felt her messy hair fall in front of her face again before she pushed it back. She cleared her throat as she crossed her arms again and walked to the table, her bare feet softly stepping across the creaky wooden floor.

"Well, you seem in good shape." Jesse noted as Lily walked towards the table. Lily turned her head to him and smiled, making her way to the chair across her brother. Cassidy moved his resting feet from the chair, sliding it out for her as she sat down, "Amazing what sleeping through a whole fucking day can do to you." She glanced at the clock, it was early afternoon, "Thanks for the wake up call."

Cassidy sneered, puffing from a cigarette as he pushed his shades up from sliding down his nose.

"You needed the sleep." Jesse said, "Obviously did you good." He stated, noting her refreshed appearance - regardless of not having showered yet. "Looks like I got most of the shit kicking." He said, referring to the various cuts and bruises apparent on his face compared to Lily's pristine condition. "Guess that makes sense, since, you know, I _did_ most of it too." Jesse poked playfully, raising his eyebrows as he drank from his cup as he waited for Lily to retaliate, half expecting her to throw her coffee mug at his head.

Instead, Lily exhaled, drinking her coffee as she lowered her eyes, "As if." She growled at him, not giving in to his attempt to push her buttons.

"How's your arm?" Tulip asked from the stove. Lily blinked. Her robe covered her arm - which was entirely healed as if nothing happened, thanks to Cassidy's blood, but she wasn't about to explain that, "Sore." She lied simply, raising her coffee cup to her mouth again. While Cassidy cleared his throat very obviously. "Well no _shit_." Tulip said sarcastically, placing the spatula down on the counter, "You want me to change the dressing on it?" Tulip asked, walking towards her to lift Lily's robe sleeve. Raising her eyebrows with her mouth still against the mug, Lily squirmed away from Tulip, who narrowed her brows at Lily as she swallowed a gulp of coffee, "I just changed it." Lily explained quickly.

Tulip studied her face a moment, moving her head back a bit, "Alright." Tulip said, catching onto what was going on almost immediately.

"Seriously," Jesse said, oblivious to the fact Lily had been using Cassidy's blood on the regular, "How the Hell do you look like that?" Lily lowered her brows again, "Like what?" She asked defensively. "Not a scratch on you, Lil!" He said, "You look untouched." With a shrug of a shoulder she drank from her coffee again, "Guess I got the genetics of quick healing and perfect skin - whichever side of the family that comes from, and you got the genetics of bruising like a peach-" She leaned forward and poked his arm that was resting on the tale, "-and bumps on your head being swelling up more like bowling balls than goose eggs." She pretended to smack towards the huge bump on his head from the barb wired bar hitting him the night before, to which he flinched. " _Seriously_ ," Lily mocked his tone as she leaned back in her seat, "I'd be more concerned about yourself. Looks like you're growing a second head."

Cassidy and Tulip both cackled loudly, unable to refrain from showing their entertainment.

"Oh really?" Jesse said, to which Tulip interrupted quickly, "Alright, alright. Enough you two. Breakfast is ready." She said, slamming plates down in front of both of them before sliding one towards Cassidy.

In chocolate candies, each pancake had their name spelled out:

JESSE  
LILY  
CASSIDEE

And even one for herself

TULIP

"Pretty positive Cassidy is with a 'y', babe." Jesse stated. Tulip's eyes flickered from the pancake to Jesse as she shifted her weight from one leg to the other, "It is?" She stated lowly, sticking a hip out. Jesse nodded, raising a shoulder "Could've just done ' _Cass_ ' " He said.

As Tulip's stare turned to a glare towards Jesse, Cassidy perked up in his seat at the table while he waved a hand, "It's fine!" He insisted, eagerly scooting forward towards the plate, "I like it better this way-" He grabbed one of the chocolate candies spelling his name and put it in his mouth as he looked at Tulip, "Get more o'these delicious little chocolate bits wit th'two E's." He laughed, flashing his eyes above his frames at her with a wink.

Tulip smiled at Cassidy's kind words, her eyes traveling down to the table as she studied each pancake - suddenly a little self-conscious, about chocolate chip pancakes, of everything. Lily cleared her throat, "You make them next time then, Jesse." She prodded.

Jesse chuckled, leaning back in the chair before he looked at Lily sitting across from him beside Cassidy, "Hey," He said curiously, "Speakin' of names-" Jesse asked, "What was that you called him yesterday?" He titled his head up, towards Cassidy.

"What do you mean?" Lily asked as very suddenly, Cassidy flinched in realization that Lily was not yet at.

"When you were screamin' over his shoulder. I heard you call him something- Pr.. I don't remember exactly."

The light bulb above Lily's head flicked on as she raised her brow and closed her eyes, "Hm," She said into her coffee cup as she swallowed her mouthful of coffee before lowering her cup from her mouth, "Pr-" "Alright!" Cassidy interrupted loudly as all three of them, startled by his loud voice, looked at Cassidy. Lily placed her coffee cup down staring to her side at Cassidy, who sighed, "Alright," Cassidy repeated softer, "I thought we came to an understandin' that I wasn't too keen on havin' that advertised." He said quietly and politely to her.

"Having _what_ advertised?" Jesse looked from Cassidy to Lily as Tulip arched a brow curiously, sitting beside Jesse.

Lily looked at Cassidy sitting beside her, his eyes burning into hers. With a sigh, Lily smiled softly, turning her head back to her plate and picking at it, "Forget it. It's nothing. I don't know why he's making a big deal of it." She said, raising her eyebrows as she looked down at her plate, cutting through the golden pancake.

"I am _not_ makin' a big deal, alright?" Cassidy whined defensively. Lily raised her brow and shifted her eyes judgmentally as she chewed her pancake. "I'm _not_." Cassidy lowered his brow to her snarky attitude and she could pretty well feel the heat coming off of him he was so agitated.

Tulip's mouth was full as she chimed in, "Cass. The way you're talkin right now'-" She swallowed her mouthful, "Sure is makin' it seem like whatever it is _is_ a big deal." With a smirk, Jesse raised his brow to Cassidy as all three of them stared at him.

"Christ." Cassidy swore, "It's just me first name, who cares?" "Your _first_ name?" Jesse asked. "Your first name _isn't_ Cassidy?" Tulip asked over top of Jesse's voice. With his eyes low and staring down at his plate, Cassidy's mouth was straight, "No." He said simply, cutting a slice of his pancake, "It's not."

"What's _Cassidy_ , a nickname?" "No." He said shortly. "What is it then?" Tulip asked. "My last." With her brows raised, Tulip blinked, "What's your first name then?"

Jesse and Tulip leaned closer in anticipation as Cassidy chewed his huge mouthful, speaking through it as his words were muffled by the chewed up pancake in his mouth, "It's Proinsias." He admitted in a tone that disappointed Lily. She looked to him at her side, noting how halfheartedly he'd delivered those words.

" _What_?" Tulip and Jesse asked in unison, each of them leaning forward as their brows scrunched in confusion. "Proin-sias." He repeated reluctantly.

With a choke, Jesse couldn't help but laugh as he stuffed another fork full of pancake into his mouth, "Really?" He asked, smirking at Cassidy's obvious irritation. Lily scrunched her brow at Jesse's reaction.

When Cassidy didn't answer Lily cleared her throat, grabbing her coffee, "I don't know why it bothers him so much." She said, sipping from the mug of coffee before she placed it down and suddenly, there was a snaky streak to her eyes as she glared towards Jesse at her side as she ranted with no breath in between sentences, "And I know it gets under his skin, which is why I used it last night - because I was _so_ mad that I felt the need to try and knock some sense into him by using something against him - not that it helped at all, since you know... you used Genesis to have him _lit-era-lly_ throw me out without any will to even be able to listen to me regardless of what I used against him-" "Alright, alright." Jesse interrupted, "I get it."

Lily moved her eyes from her brothers back to her plate. "I'm sorry that I _had_ to do that." Jesse said stubbornly with a tone that still tried to justify his actions. With her eyes rolling, Lily laughed, "You didn't _have_ to-" "Of course I did." Jesse said a little more sternly, "You would've _never_ left. And I needed to make that decision all on my own-"

"Can we just-" Tulip interrupted, "Have _one_ morning without an argument?" She sighed, fluttering her rolling eyes up to the ceiling before glaring back down to the two of them who'd stopped talking.

Jesse arched a brow at Lily. "What?" She said to his obvious stare. "Nothing." He said simply.

In efforts to move on, Tulip looked at Cassidy, "How do you spell it, Cass?" She asked softly, "Your first name."

There was a clink against Cassidy's empty plate as he laid the cutlery down on it before sparking a cigarette at his seat, "P-R-O-I-N-S-I-A-S" He said flatly.

"Jesus Christ." Tulip said, "Well I'm sure glad you don't go by that." She threw a hand out to his half eaten pancake, "Cause if I can't get fuckin' _Cassidy_ right - I _definitely_ wouldn't have got _that_ shit right on that pancake." Cassidy smiled politely at Tulip's kind words as she slid another pancake onto his plate from the pan sitting on the table. "Let's jus' lay this topic t'rest fer all eternity." Cassidy said pitifully. As Jesse snickered, Tulip elbowed him in the side and nodded, chewing her pancake to refrain from joining him, "Alright." She said in a mouthful.

There were a few seconds of silence other than the clatter of their cutlery.

Jesse finally broke the silence, clearing his throat, "You guys up for a little road trip?" He asked, cutting into his second stack of pancakes.

Suddenly, Lily felt a tickle on her thigh, as if a spider or loose thread was tracing her skin. By reflex, she flinched in surprise, using her hand to hit off whatever was tickling her the way it was, only for her hand to collide with Cassidy's.

First, annoyance consumed her - realizing it was his fingers tracing her skin. In her side vision, she could see Cassidy nonchalantly eating his pancakes with his other hand and Lily was careful not to give any attention to him - especially with Tulip and Jesse sitting directly across from them.

Cassidy's hand on Lily's lap had caught hers when attempted to swat his away and clenched it almost a little too hard. Lily inhaled, trying her best to not look unnatural, "Road trip?" She asked as her blood began to get hotter each second.

"Just for the afternoon. We'll be back before dinner." Jesse explained. Suddenly, Lily's annoyance switched to horror as Cassidy moved his hand under the table with hers in it's grasp to between her legs. Her silk robe being pulled at as he pushed her hand towards her crotch. With her face straight, Lily shook her head at Jesse as she tried desperately to focus, crossing her legs as she did her best to deter Cassidy from his bold plan of action, "What do you mean?" Lily asked. "We have a family friend not far from here." He said as if Lily had even heard him use the term 'family friend' at all. The only family Lily was aware of was Jesse and Tulip. " An hour or so drive max." Jesse continued, "Think he might be able to give us some insight on this whole thing."

Lily's curiosity peaked - _family_ friend?

She would be focusing more if it wasn't for Cassidy - who wasn't letting up, his grip on her wrist was tighter and finally, Lily just gave in, uncrossing her legs and trying her best to loosen up and not look so incredibly stiff. With no time wasted, Cassidy pushed her hand into her center - her thin robe providing hardly any barrier.

He slid his fingers between hers and found his way easily under her panties.

" _Family_ friend?" Lily asked with her voice wavering, a lump in her throat as she clenched onto the fork in her hand on the table while Cassidy slid a finger into her. With a sharp inhale, Lily shoved a piece of pancake into her mouth in efforts to look more natural. She debated punching Cassidy in the side of the head, but she wasn't too keen on likely breaking any of her fingers.

Jesse never talked about family, so why did the one time have to be while Cassidy secretly finger fucked her under the table during breakfast?

Jesse nodded, stuffing his mouth with another heaping forkful of pancakes. Tulip put her coffee cup down and cleared her throat, "Who, Jess?" Tulip asked. "His name's Mike." Jesse stated with a full mouth, "He's a religious scholar." He explained as Tulip raised her brow and nodded thoughtfully, her eyes moving judgmentally across the table.

"Thanks for breakfast, babe." Jesse said with a clear plate as he kissed her cheek.

Cassidy raised his brows, pulling his hand out from between Lily's legs and placing his fingers that had just been inside of her into his mouth as he licked them off, "Mmm." He hummed, "Delicious." He added.

Lily felt her face go hot as it turned bright red in mortifying shock.

"No problem." Tulip sang, "Glad you guys liked it." She smiled proudly. Jesse smiled at her, his eyes flickered from Tulip to his sister, as he put coffee cup down before it made it to his mouth, "What's amatter?" He asked, noting the look on Lily's face.

"You alright?" Cassidy asked at her side with a concerned look on his face, as if he had not a clue why she was so horrified. Lily shifted her eyes from Cassidy to Tulip and Jesse in front of them.

"I'm just-" She stopped on her words as her stomach flopped upside down, unable to think of anything, "I ... should go get ready." She stated stupidly, pushing herself from the table as her half eaten pancakes sat on her plate. " _Hey_!" Tulip said with a full mouth, throwing a hand out to Lily's plate, "You didn't finish them." She whined. "I lost my appetite." Lily explained honestly, rushing to the bedroom.

"I'm gonna step out fer some on-the-road beverages." She heard Cassidy say almost immediately. Lily's heart skipped a beat - knowing that Cassidy was just using that as an excuse to get outside to more than likely creep in through the bedroom window, she paced much quicker to the bedroom, slamming the door shut and locking it as she dashed towards the window to close and lock it.

As she clicked it locked, Cassidy was already on the other side - just as she thought. She huffed, sliding the blinds shut as she turned away - her blood boiling. All it took was a simple tug for him to lift the window open, breaking the lock hatch off. Lily stiffened and spun back around, scrunching her brow and groaning as she ran up to the window, "Get out!" She whisper-yelled as she pointed out the window all while he crawled into the room, ignoring her entirely.

"What the Hell?!" Lily hissed at him, "What's _wrong_ with you!?" She demanded, flustered and furious.

He stood up, straightening his sunglasses as he gave her little personal space, "You got a raise outta me. I deserved one out of you." He said simply. "What the Hell?" She repeated shaking her head and unable to look at him, "That was beyond fucked" She pointed a finger at him, " _You_ are beyond fucked." She clarified.

"I've _told_ ya how I feel about my name bein' known about-"

Lily held her hand up in Cassidy's face, "I have to go shower." She said, desperate to rinse herself in cold water to cool herself down. She was so furious she felt she was on fire. It helped a little bit.

She was glad to see Cassidy no where in sight in the room as she got ready. When she walked out all dressed to leave, the three of them were standing in the kitchen.

"What are you doing?" Lily asked, watching Cassidy put his jacket on. He puffed from his cigarette, "Wot d'ye mean? I'm comin' wit, obviously." He stated. "Why are you coming?" She asked coldly. Jesse's eyes flickered between them, his brow scrunching at Lily's harsh sounding words.

Cassidy lowered his brow, flashing his eyes at her over his shades, "Honestly?" He asked, unimpressed. "What?" Lily asked, leaning back.

"What's the deal, Lily?" Jesse asked curiously. Suddenly, she realized how it must have looked to Jesse. "I'm just saying.." Lily began thinking of a reasoning behind her words other than 'This fucker just slid his hand in my crotch over breakfast right under your nose'.

"What... about... Dennis?" Lily said, holding her arm out to the open doorway into the living room where Dennis sat, "I meant as in I assumed you'd maybe want to spend some father/son time?" She said in a tone that was suddenly much less cold and quite obviously non-genuine, in Cassidy's perspective at least. He knew very well she didn't give a fuck about him spending bonding time with Dennis. She was just being a bitch.

Shaking his head, Cassidy hummed on his cigarette in his mouth, "I don't believe he gives a rats arse whether I'm 'ere or on the moon at this point." He justified.

Lily nodded, noticing her heart drop a bit at his reaction. She'd been a bit harsh with the whole father/son thing. She glanced at her phone before walking to the counter and scribbling her phone number on the back of a receipt. She leaned into the doorway of the living room. Dennis who sat on the lazy-boy chair in the living room, was puffing from his inhaler. "Dennis," Lily said leaning into the living room, " _We're just going to step out for the day, call us if you need anything, OK_?" She laid the phone number down on the tale behind him. Dennis hardly passed her a glance and waved his hand with a scowl as he swore under his breath.

With the three of them staring from Dennis to her, Lily shrugged her shoulders, "Let's go." She said.


	53. Spitting Image

They made it to Mike's in less than an hour with Tulip driving. It was an older house off the highway, not much around it and Lily felt more curious than ever. She'd never met a "family" friend. Jesse had explained very briefly that Mike was a religious scholar, and he'd likely know more about the Saint and what to do about him. When they got into Mike's house, it wasn't exactly a warm welcome, but he seemed half amused to see Jesse at least.

Between Mike's old, dusty house and the teenage girl he was seemingly holding prisoner (to her parents knowledge), it was hard to judge what kind of a person Mike was in the short amount of time spent together.

They'd been sitting at his kitchen table while Mike and Jesse conversed for nearly an hour without anyone getting a word in between them. It took a while for Mike to process everything Jesse had told him. The bunch of them tried to understand the most they could about the Saint - but Mike proved to know about as much as they did. "There are a couple pieces of literature out there that would help you more than I can." Mike admitted, scribbling on a scrap piece of paper, "These editions are very old - it will be hard to find a copy, but it's worth a shot." He'd given the paper to Jesse. "Appreciate it." Jesse said with a polite smile.

Eventually, Mike stood up and brought out a banker box and lifted the dusty lid, "Here's some old crap. Photos and all that.." He groaned, "Haven't looked at them in ages - what better time then now?" His tone was flat and it was hard to tell how genuine he was when he spoke. There was no doubt a look of intense curiosity in Lily's eyes, to which Jesse acted quickly to, placing the lid over the box again, "We don't have time to sit and reminisce now, Mike." He said, "We really should go. Look for the books you've recommended." Jesse said shortly.

With a scrunch of his face, Cassidy looked to Lily, who's inquisitive eyes dropped from the box to the coffee cup in her hand as she slouched back in the chair as she deflated. A look in Tulip's eyes caught Cassidy's, each other understanding that it was clear Jesse was against any family history lesson and was keen on keeping Lily out of it in any way.

"I'm gonna go to the washroom quick and we'll get out of your hair." Jesse said, standing up. He pointed a thumb over his shoulder, "Bathroom's down the hall?" He asked.

Cassidy and Tulip looked to Lily leaning back in her chair with her arms crossed, feeling the tensity of her eyes burning into the box of photo albums and loose pictures. Holding her breath she took a few short seconds before she sat up straight, jumping up to her feet and digging into the box. She sifted through a fistful of loose photos, checking the backs of them for any information. Finally, she found one of a woman holding a baby. Flipping it over, she read the cursive on the back.

"Christina L'angelle?" Lily read quietly from the back of the photo. Mike hummed and nodded as Lily's eyes moved back to the pictures in her hands, "Your mother's side. Her name before Custer." Mike explained. "Is this her?" Lily asked, showing the front of the picture to Mike briefly as he nodded, "Yep."

She stared at it - she'd never even seen a picture of her mother. It was hard to believe she'd even had one. Cassidy and Tulip were very quickly standing up from their chairs and were on either side of her. Mike leaned forward a bit against the table, "I took that picture before she'd had you." Mike said, "That's little Jesse in her arms." He huffed, "Pretty sure you were born not too long after. Don't know where, though, didn't see you until you were a young child."

Lily's brow narrowed.

"You weren't born in Annville?" Tulip asked Lily quietly, realizing she'd always just assumed she was. "I... don't know." Lily admitted lightly, sifting through more photos in her hand. Her birth certificate had been reissued only a few years ago, and it had just said Texas. She assumed since Annville was the smallest town she'd ever seen - it was an informality, but now - she was overwhelmed with concern. Too shocked to even say anything, Cassidy couldn't imagine that Lily had so little knowledge about her family history, that she didn't even know _where_ she was born. Another picture of just her and Jesse's mother came to surface in the pile in Lily's hands.

"Wot a beauty she was, eh?" Cassidy sang over her shoulder, trying to lighten the mood, "Yer a spittin' image." "She was gorgeous." Tulip reveled at the picture, speaking in the softest tone she could as she mirrored Cassidy's action to turn the attention to something brighter, "Cass is right." Tulip looked at Lily's face, "You look just like her, Lil." She said sweetly over Lily's other shoulder. "Hm." Lily hummed thoughtfully to both of their remarks, staring at the stranger in the picture before she finally moved to the next several, cycling through.

"There's lots I'm sure you don't know." Mike said as Lily's eyes flickered up to his. She breathed in quickly, turning her head as she studied him. "I don't know _anything_." She admitted, inviting him to open up more as she leaned towards him.

Mike hadn't imagined Jesse would have told her much. Jesse hadn't changed at all, and he wanted everything in the past to stay that way. Mike knew Lily was in the dark about everything they'd come from - and he was keen to have the both of them well aware of their history. Just as Mike was about to speak again, they'd heard the bathroom door open down the hall. In a fluster, Lily and Tulip shoved the pictures back in the box and threw the lid back on and he didn't know why, but Cassidy followed their panic to sit back down and act aloof. Lily and Tulip's anxiousness to seem innocent was a move that was surprising to Cassidy - they were both not ones to just keep quiet and not get answers they wanted.

It was surprising to Cassidy that Lily, clearly as curious as she was about the mystery of her own family, wasn't waving the pictures in his face and demanding answers. He stared at her acting nonchalant - finding himself uneasy.

Jesse walked up to the table, the three of them studied anything in the room except him as Mike looked up at Jesse. "Thanks for the insight, Mike." Jesse shook his hand. Mike smiled, "Come back any time." He said flatly. Suddenly, the teenage girl locked in the garage yelled again, " **SOMEONE**." She screamed,  
 **HELP**!" Mike ignored her and continued talking to Jesse, "Would be nice to catch up and go through some stuff I'd like to get rid of." He hinted at the box. Jesse pressed his lips together, not paying much attention to the box between them as he rounded everyone up to leave and follow Mike's guidance.

* * *

With her arm resting on the open window and the other on the wheel, Tulip dipped her head down, looking at the rear view mirror to catch a glimpse of Lily. They were halfway back to New Orleans and the entire time they'd been talking, Lily hadn't said a word. Her mind raced as she stared out the window in the back of Tulip's car.

"Books!" Cassidy scoffed, "All that... n'all the man can do is recommend a coupla _books_?" He puffed from his cigarette in the back of the car. "It's better than nothin'." Jesse said, "Besides," He puffed on his own smoke, "We'll learn more about him than we already know." Cassidy scrunched his face, sliding his sunglasses up as he was careful not to lean to close to the window in fear of getting singed by the sun coming in through the open window in front of him beside Jesse, "N'wot issit we already know exactly?" Cassidy asked.

"Well, not a lot, but we _do_ know for a fact the Saint tracks Genesis." Jesse continued. "And y'sure used the shite outta that yesterday." Cassidy pointed out. With a nod, Jesse thought to himself as he stared out the passenger window. "So he's comin'." Jesse stated lowly, "So we need to be ready." Tulip decided to speak up, "You alright, Lil?" She asked. Lily glanced at Tulip's eyes in the reflection of the rear-view mirror, "Yep." She said flatly. After a couple of seconds of staleness to the air, Jesse, without looking from out the passenger window, turned up the radio.

When they got back to the apartment, Tulip noticed Lily immediately begin walking down the hallway. She rushed up to her, grabbing her arm, "Hey." She said, "Wanna grab a bite? Just the two of us?"

With a head shake, Lily pressed her lips together, "I'm exhausted, Tulip. I'm gonna have a nap." She said. "Alright." Tulip said softly, letting go of her arm as her eyes shined sympathetically enough to show Lily that she understood she was in a blue mood.

Cassidy knew Lily was bothered, there was no need for questioning her about it. It was more concerning seeing Lily's submissiveness. Usually, if she had a problem she was very forward about it - instead, she stayed oddly quiet and distant all while Jesse ignored her obvious out of usual behavior and acted as if nothing was wasn't a usual characteristic of hers. It made Cassidy's blood boil thinking about how he turned a blind eye to her obvious upset. By the time Lily had closed the bedroom door and sat on the bed, the door was already opening again. She turned around, seeing Cassidy walking in. "Ugh.." She groaned quietly, "Not now, Cass." She whispered, "Just leave me alone for a while."

He walked towards her, "I will. I promise." He said stepping to her side as she looked out the window. He reached into his jacket, "Jus' wanted t'give y'this." He said quietly, holding out the picture of her mother she'd held at Mikes. Her eyes flickered from the picture up to him. Holding it in front of her, it took her a few seconds to move her hand up to it and grab it from him as she stared at it again.

"Hm." Lily said, "Just this morning I was giving you a hard time for your name... meanwhile I know nothing about my own." She looked up from the picture to him standing above her, "How fucked up is that?" Cassidy laughed through his nose softly, sitting beside her on the bed as she flipped the photo over and looked at the writing on the back again. "Pretty fucked up." Cassidy agreed, bumping his shoulder to hers.

Lily took a sharp breath in and looked to him at her side, "If you're as sensitive about your name as you make yourself out to be - why'd you talk to me about it with no hesitation then?" She asked as she shook her head at him, "You told me your first name was Proinsias-" He practically flinched as she said it again, and he interrupted her, finishing her sentence, "Back in Sundowner." He finished quickly, "Ya, I remember." He said softly. She swallowed, looking at his lips a moment as she remembered him signing her out of the hospital back in Annville. He had written his full name down, which is how she even knew to ask about it in the first place. His name had caused so many problems. Lily remembered reaming him out for using his full name to sign her out - attaching her name to his giant history of felonies among other things, but Cassidy wasn't phased. An alias wasn't something he used - he'd rather bare the consequences and be honest to who he was.

She tucked her wet hair that fell in front of her face back away from her face as she brought her eyes back up to his shades, "You didn't seem troubled to tell me when I asked about it." She shrugged a shoulder at him. "Well y'jus had the absolute shite kicked out o'yew all 'cos o'me, n'I felt th'least I could do was answer t'ye truthfully." He said matter-of-factly. She couldn't help but chuckle - a relief to him.

She thought she'd get some answers being around someone who was considered a family friend - the only thing it had done was created more questions. Lily stood up and walked towards a dresser not far away that she'd put some of her clothes into.

"Usually you kick n'scream fer wot y'want til y'get it." Cassidy stated from the bed, "Why don't y'fer this?"

"I did once." She admitted in a grave tone, staring at the picture once more before throwing it under her clothes in a drawer closing it. Before Cassidy could ask what that had meant, the door opened, and it was Tulip. "Hey." She said. When Lily turned to her she had an unfamiliar streak in her eyes, "Can I ask you something, Tulip?" Lily asked. With a dryness to her throat, Tulip nodded, "Sure."

"Before Jesse went on the manic spree to find you..." Lily started with a hidden bite to her tone, "Cassidy told me about how he found you up in the hotel room back at that casino resort you guys were at a while back, the couple of days I was in Worthington by myself..." Lily explained, "Said he found you up there with a dead man." She said. Each of them were staring at each other in the eye as Cassidy sat between them on the bed.

With a small shrug (as if that was such an unusual thing), Tulip's eyes wandered, "Yea." "So you _were_ in trouble with Viktor... who you were married to?" Lily lowered her eyes with her bitter words as if she was hurt about being in the dark. "No." Tulip demanded, "No." She said softer. With her eyes shifting, she let out a short exhale.

"Did he-" Lily leaned her head towards Cassidy, "clean up your mess _before_ or after you and Jesse almost got married?" She asked sourly, remembering Tulip telling her Jesse had asked her to marry her that same time frame, "I mean what's _wrong_ with you?" Lily raised her shoulders, "You _never_ liked that kind of stuff and now suddenly you're marrying every man you have the chance to? And keeping it secret?!"

Tulip breathed in and shook her head, staying calm. She felt like she was having an argument with Jesse the stupid way Lily was talking. As hard as it was, Tulip remained level headed, her eyes scanning the room quickly as her hands fell to her sides and she shook her head, "Sometimes life can get _real_ complicated." She said softly and simply, trying to meet her in the middle ground without being as harsh as she was. Out of everyone who would understand how insane life could be, she knew that Lily was well aware that she had no right to be the one pointing fingers.

"Whatever." Lily said in stubborn defeat, moving past Tulip to head out to the hallway, "I'm going to go shower."

Within seconds Cassidy had his jacket on. With a disgruntled look on her face, Tulip turned to him, "Where are ya goin?!" "Runnin' out quick." He said shortly, "Need anythin?" He asked, adjusting his jacket.

Glancing him up and down once, Tulip nodded, "Yea." She said, still nodding, "Get a bunch of red wine. Any kind." She asked. With a smile, Cassidy nodded, knowing that the wine wasn't for the either of them. He adjusted his shades on his nose, "Yer a good friend, Tulip." He said. With her arms crossed, Tulip nodded with a smile, "I know her heads just all mixed up from the family stuff comin' up. She's not really that upset with me about any of that. She keeps as many things from me as I do from her... it's just easier to blame stress on someone who you know will always be there no matter what." She'd played it off that she was explaining for Cassidy's sake but it was obvious she was trying to reassure herself.

Cassidy nodded, placing his hand on her shoulder, "Absolutely." He pulled her in for a quick hug before he closed the bedroom door. Tulip scrunched her brow and turned her head at Cassidy's move to isolate them. "Wot d'yew know about all o'that?" He asked quietly. Tulip blinked, raising a brow, "About the family stuff?" She whispered. Cassidy nodded and Tulip let out a short huff, "As much as she does." Cassidy's heart dropped as Tulip continued, "Jesse doesn't talk about it. Ever. The once Lily tried it didn't end well."

With a nod, Cassidy thought carefully. What could be _so_ terrible that Jesse was so adamant on keeping their history of their family secret enough that Lily didn't even know her mothers maiden name, let alone where she was born?

* * *

When Cassidy came back from running out for his fix pick up, Tulip was sitting in the kitchen as Jesse was at the table staring at the laptop. With relief, Tulip sighed at the sight of the amount of red wine and various booze Cassidy had came back with.

"Thanks." Tulip said, yanking at the first bottle of red she saw as she rushed to the bedroom Lily had just gone back into from the washroom. Too curious, Cassidy followed behind Tulip, "Y'talk t'er at all since I left?" Tulip turned to him as they walked down the hallway, "She only just got out of the shower." She said quietly. Tulip knocked on the door, "Lil?" She said to the door, "You dressed?"

There was no answer, but Tulip opened the door anyway. Inside, Lily sat in front of the vanity, with a towel on her head and a robe around her as she applied face cream. You could practically see the dark rain cloud around her head. Tulip took a deep breath at the sight of Lily so blue. It was about time they caught up one on one, and Lily needed a boost of energy a long time ago. Now was the perfect opportunity.

"Let's go out." Tulip said, still leaning against the door frame with a glass and a bottle of red in her arms. Quietly, Cassidy made his way to the bed that sat between the two of them. Lily looked at Tulip through the reflection of the mirror, rubbing at her face with moisturizer before looking back at herself, "When are we going to fit that in?" She groaned. Cassidy laid himself down on the bed, his one arm behind his head as his legs hung off the side as he observed the two of them. "After bible study?" Lily mocked sarcastically.

"Now." Tulip said, "Right now. Get ready." Lily raised her brow at herself in the mirror as she plucked her eyebrows. With a shallow breath, Cassidy watched Lily sitting with her back to Tulip. Sure, she shown Cassidy a share of attitude and sourness, but seeing her give that cold shoulder to Tulip was new and kind of interesting in a sad way to him. "Seriously," Tulip continued, "Let's go." She demanded, smacking the bottle as the cork flew off as she poured a large glass of wine.

Lily stopped moving, the tweezers poking her eyebrow as she finally looked at Tulip through the reflection. Placing the tweezers down, she turned from the mirror, her back finally no longer towards Tulip, watching her as she walked up to her and held the glass of wine out. The towel around Lily's head was wrapped around tight and the robe around her body hung around her loosely. From the bed, Cassidy continued to watch the exchange silently.

Lily tilted her head from the wine glass up to Tulip and narrowed her eyes. "I'm serious." Tulip said quietly. Lily grabbed the wine glass as Tulip spun around, taking a few steps towards the open suitcase on the ground and snatching a few things, "So put your push up bra on-" Tulip said, throwing it at Lily's face, "And this dress-" She tossed a blur of fabric her way, "Or this one-" Lily chuckled as another whipped her direction. Her laugh was relieving Tulip already, even if it was only halfhearted, "Tulip!" She laughed trying not to spill the glass of wine, "Tulip! Stop!"

"And sauce these bad boys on your feet-" Tulip said, tossing two heels her way as they hit the ground with two consecutive **_thud_** s.

Cassidy cackled, jumping to his feet and running up to Tulip, wrapping an arm around her and poking her in the ribs playfully, "Sounds like a blast. Where are we goin', then!? Cos I know this place yew girls are gonna-" "You're not comin', Cass." Tulip stated nonchalantly pulling herself from out of Cassidy's arm, "Neither is Jess. We're gonna have ourselves a ladies night." She claimed, raising her chin and smiling at Lily, who sighed with a grin, turning around and sat back down in front of the mirror as she began unravel her towel on her head and brush her hair out.

With his shoulders and jaw dropping at the same time, Cassidy leaned away from Tulip, "What'd'ya mean!?" He whined loudly.

Hearing all the commotion from the kitchen, Jesse walked towards the bedroom the three of them were in, "What's goin' on in here?" Jesse asked, leaning on the door frame of the bedroom door. Cassidy held an arm out to Tulip as he turned to Jesse, "Jess-" He said, "Tulip's talkin' about the two of 'em goin' out without us." Jesse looked at Tulip before his eyes moved back to Cassidy, "So?"

Cassidy leaned forward with wide eyes, stuttering on his words, "S-so!?" He scoffed, "After everythin' that's gone down th'past while, n'yer jus' all ' _So_ '?" He mocked Jesse the best he could. Jesse smiled, as he pushed off the door frame to stand in the middle of the room with them, he laughed, "What's the big deal, Cass?"

With a hardened face, Cassidy pressed his lips together, disappointed that Jesse was on their side and he didn't see the reason to worry that Cassidy did. "Y'know wot? Nevermind." Cassidy groveled, walking out of the room.

"Cass," Jesse side eyed him as he raised his beer bottle to his mouth, "They're gonna do what they want regardless of what we say." Jesse exhaled as he moved the bottle from his mouth before he leaned forward, pointing at Cassidy, "And if we tell them _not_ to do something, they're gonna do it ten-fold."

Cassidy shifted his low eyes, adjusting his shades on his nose as he stewed inside. "You saw how long Lily took in that store the other day." Jesse said, "You really want to put up with a whole evenin' of those two stoppin' at every second shop window?" Jesse's eyes were fixed on the laptop screen in front of him and pretty soon, he'd zoned out from Cassidy's company completely. With a sigh, Cassidy opened a bottle he'd just picked up. Hearing as Tulip made her way into what was temporarily her and Jesse's abode, he decided to go approach Lily again.

Lily was nearly ready, zipping up her shoes and throwing her jacket on as she checked herself out once more in the mirror. Cassidy reeked of the whiskey he drank as he approached close to her, "Y'know fer bein' Tulip's boyfriend n'bein' yer big brother," He hissed judgmentally, "y'would think _Jess_ should be one tough on the idea of yew two jus' goin' out on yer own." Lily sighed, raising her brows at Cassidy as she walked by him to grab her makeup bag on the other side of the room before she sat back down in front of the mirror, "Yet 'ere _I_ am-" Cassidy continued as she began to powder her face, "The worried one." Cassidy scoffed, "Why's that?" He sat beside her on another chair.

She glanced at him quick, her tone snide, "You're right." Lily said, "Why _is_ that?" She mocked his words back to him as she smacked her lips together to spread her lipstick before she stood up and turned to him, "Why _do_ you give such a shit what kind of a boyfriend or brother Jesse is?"

He looked at her - a total 180 degree in image. Just an hour ago she'd had a dark and gloomy storm over her and now here she stood in front of him all dolled up and looking like the sun had just set over her. Cassidy knew it was pointless - Jesse was right - they were going to do anything they wanted regardless of his opinion. "Just promise you'll at _least_ answer me." He requested, waving his phone.

She felt her cheeks get warm as she kept her mouth flat. Normally, she'd be yelling at anyone for telling her what and what not to do, but she knew (very deep down) that Cassidy out of all people right now had _some_ right to express his concern. With a quick huff she shook her head, "Fine." She said shortly. "Alright." He said with a nod.

Lily spun around to head out towards the front door in the kitchen. Jesse was at the fridge as he closed it. He looked at Lily before his eyes fixed on Tulip walking from behind her. As a steady rhythm of footsteps came from the hallway, Tulip came out. It was like a spotlight was on her. Jesse exhaled as he walked up to her and gave her a kiss, pulling her into his arms as he stayed close to her, "Why's it you dress nicer for her than you do for me?" He rasped lowly. Tulip smiled at him, her eyes low as she stared at his lips, "Well, that's simple..." She raised her chin a bit, and suddenly it was like Cassidy and Lily weren't standing right there, "You never appreciate what I wear." Tulip said to him quietly, "You just rip it off and-" "Alright!" Lily said lunging forward into them and yanking Tulip away from her brother's embrace, "That's enough. Before I vomit." She pulled at Tulip as she stared at Jesse with playful eyes while she was being guided quickly towards the front door as Cassidy and Jesse both chuckled.

"Do me a favor and you girls keep your eyes open for any signs?" He asked. Lily nodded, "Of course." Jesse nodded back, "And tomorrow we're-" "Going to the library." Lily interrupted, "I know." Jesse smirked, "First thing!" He pointed, "Just want you to not be too hungover. Need your brain now more than ever." The front door opened and they quickly slid out.

"Hey-" Jesse said stepping a forward, "You girls-" The door slammed as their chatter and heels clacking against the floor in the outside hallway quickly became distant, "-be careful." Jesse finished. "Wouldn't you want t'tell them to _not_ be careful? I mean if we're goin' wit yer logic of them doin' the opposite ten-fold n'wot not." Cassidy asked, "Or how does that work?" With a side eye and a smirk, Jesse chuckled at Cassidy's snarky demeanor as he found his way back to the front of the laptop.

On the inside, Cassidy he was more than unsettled. There was no way he could be as blind as Jesse and sit in front of a computer all night, pretending nothing was wrong inside him. With a sigh, Cassidy grabbed a couple bottles to tuck into his jacket - coming up with the idea that he _could_ still join Lily and Tulip for the night - they just couldn't _know_ about it.


	54. Ladies Night

Cassidy was entirely content. The girls were under the impression they were having a night to themselves, and Cassidy was able to keep an eye on them. It was a win-win for everyone.

"That had to have been one of the nicest places I've been!" Tulip proclaimed, throwing her fitted, studded leather jacket on as her and Lily stepped out of the large from doors of the ritzy restaurant they'd been in the past couple of hours. Cassidy watched from across the road, tucked in an alley as he had been since they'd stepped foot into the restaurant.

He leaned from the garbage can he sat on, placing his mickey in his jacket and looking at them as he heard them talking, "You sure know how to treat a lady, Lil. Thanks for picking up the tab!" Tulip sang as the two of them had their arms linked and their steps were synchronized. "That story you just finished tellin' me about you guys the night before we ended up at Viktor's is _hilarious_." Of course, Tulip had asked the origin story of Lily's stack of cash, so Lily had told her about her and Cassidy's eventful (and successful) night at the bet bar.

"You should've _seen_ it, Tulip!" Lily reminisced like it was years ago, "It was nothing to him! Just **SLAM** -" She mimed an arm wrestle with her free arm as Cassidy felt his ego practically burst in the manner she was speaking about him, "Super strength. He doesn't show it, but, trust me-" Lily raised he brows.

"Huh," Tulip said thoughtfully, "Probably lots of stuff we can do with that in mind. So! Guess I should thank Mister Strong Man for dinner then?" Tulip teased at Lily, "Winnin' that jackpot with his big muscles and all?" She mocked.

Lily's head went back as she laughed harder than expected, "No, no, no.." She caught her breath, "Sure, _he_ might've done the physical work - but it was _my_ idea to go there in the first place. And _my_ counterfeit money we profited on. Did you not hear me? He lost all his damn money, anyway! So you were right the first time. You can thank _me_ for picking up the tab." Tulip laughed as they stepped down the large staircase onto the sidewalk, "Speaking of Cassidy.." Lily mumbled to herself, taking out her phone to reply to his fifth text in the less than two hours that they'd been gone.

He'd made sure he stayed consistent to make her believe he was sitting pitifully at home and wasn't watching their every move like a long term stalker. To be fair, the past few texts he had sent had been in the time he couldn't see them inside the restaurant, anyway, so he genuinely was curious for their well being.

Cassidy watched them practically dance arm in arm down the street, listening to them from afar as he continued to follow them onto their next stop. Cassidy nearly tripped over himself when he saw them head away from the long street with endless bars and instead watched as they turned into a dingy alley. He growled to himself, picking up his pace as he cursed them under his breath, "This is _exactly_ why I'm doin' this."

Eventually, they'd walked off on a beaten path, all the way to beside the water and under an over pass, which was even more concerning than the dark allies they'd weaved around just to get there. Making sure he stayed a good distance away but still close enough hear them faintly, Cassidy leaned against an old brick wall - most of which was demolished, but it concealed him, no less. He sighed, drinking from his bottle he'd brought and curious to what the Hell they were doing in such an isolated and dark area.

Cassidy was very cautious not to be eavesdropping. He wasn't there to invade any privacy, he simply wanted to keep around them. With everything that had happened the past few weeks, it was impossible not to worry about the both of them constantly. He could hear the odd sentence depending on what direction they were standing the way the sound of their voices traveled underneath the overpass.

"I got a small bottle of bourbon on me." Tulip said, pulling it out of her jacket before they quickly passed it between each other. Their chatter started quickly, and Cassidy wondered why they figured beneath a dark overpass seemed like a good place to catch up. He zoned out on his phone for a while, the sounds of their voices relaxing to him as his mind was at peace, his only problem at the moment was he was running close to dry on booze.

Guiltily, Cassidy did his best to not listen in on the details of their conversations too much, his brain processing only the occasional sentences:

"So you just told him you were going out and never came back? And stole the product on the way out?!" "Yep." "Genius!"

"I can't believe you went to Paris to kill that guy."

"Hey, I didn't do it!... Myself any way."

"So then I made him baptize me."

After a few minutes, he heard the sound of what was unmistakably a gun cocking and instinctively sat up straight, slipping his phone into his pants pocket. His eyes searched the dark for any kind of threat. He couldn't see or smell anything. With a terrible feeling, he knew he had to get to the girls. As soon as he turned around the wall, he saw them a ways away, with their backs were to him. Suddenly, there was a couple gunshots back to back.

 **BANG BANG BANG**

Cassidy skidded to a stop as Tulip pointed the gun in her hands down to the ground and Lily bounced up and down in excitement as she grabbed Tulip's one shoulder with her hands and howled with laughter, "Pretty good, right!?" Lily yelled with the bottle of bourbon in her hand.

In Tulip's hand was one of Lily's guns - the one Cassidy had heard cocking just before. Quickly, he scuttled back to his hiding place behind the wall before they noticed him and turned the gun to his way instead. "Jaysis." He swore under his breath, his heart racing as he leaned his head back against the concrete, sliding down to his butt as their distant chatter continued about various stories. Finally, his heart rate slowed down.

"Try this gun!"

 ** _BANG BANG_** ** _BANG  
_**  
"I like the other one better."

 ** _BANG_**

 ** _BANG BANG_** ** _  
_**

"This one time-"

 ** _BANG BANG_** ** _BANG BANG_**

"It reminded me of that one job we did for-"

 ** _BANG BANG_**

Cassidy decided to send Lily another text, hearing the ping of her phone receiving it shortly after, "Ugh," Tulip scoffed at Lily's side, "What an idiot." She cocked the gun, "Just ignore him, Lil!" "I can't." Lily laughed as she typed on her phone, "I promised I'd respond to him if he'd lay off." "Pfft." Tulip spat over top of the _swoosh_ noise her phone made as Lily sent the text, lifting the gun back up as she extended her arms and took aim, " _You're_ the idiot then." Tulip claimed, **_BANG_** **BANG BANG click click** The gun was empty for only a brief moment before Tulip swiftly reloaded it, _"_ A simple kick in the gut would've had him lay off just _fine_ , I'm sure." She sang as she took aim again.

 ** _BANG_** **BANG BANG**

Lily laughed, sliding her phone back into her long coat pocket, "I just only now realized why I have always had such a hard time keeping men around."

Moving the gun down and turning to her, Tulip stared heatedly, "What's that suppose mean!?" She asked defensively, gun still in hand. With a sigh, Lily sat up against a large concrete block, "Nothing." She stated. Tulip raised her brows and waved the gun in hand, "No, no, no. Go on."

Lily smiled and stared out to the river, shrugging a shoulder, "You just gave the perfect example of why I am the way I am. Looking up to you most my life, obviously my coldheartedness is your fault." Lily said with a smirk, staring back at her again.

Tulip took a step towards her, her head leaning forward a bit, " _Coldheartedness_?" She repeated while Lily nodded simply with smile, half teasing, half serious. With her body still turned to Lily, Tulip took a breath, nodded, and held her arm out to the side with the gun in hand as she cocked it,

"Try _independence-"_

 ** _BANG_**

 _"Pride-"_

 ** _BANG_** ** _  
_**

 _"Self respect-"_

 ** _BANG_**

While Tulip reloaded the gun she walked towards Lily, " _Nobody_ , especially a man, can tell you what to _do_ or _wear_ or _say_ or _**anything**_. You need to be yourself and you need to make sure whoever it is you're dealing with knows that. So yea, I you're damn right I taught you all that. You're fucking welcome!"

 ** _BANG_** ** _BANG_ BANG** ** _BANG_** **BANG**

As the last gunshot cracked in the air, their cackles echoed as the two of them passed the bottle back and forth again.

Finally, their laughter dwindled and it was silent for a few moments, other than the sound of the river rushing a ways down from them.

Eventually, Tulip took a sharp inhale and looked to Lily, "So why _didn't_ you just kick Cass in the gut?" She asked. "What do you mean?" Lily asked, to which Tulip rolled her eyes, "You _know_ what I mean, Lily. Why are you listening to him? Why aren't you being your usual stubborn self? The Lily I know would tell anyone to fuck right off if they demanded a routine check in."

Lily shook her head with a faint smile, "He didn't _demand_ it." She clarified, raising a brow and taking another swig of the bourbon, "He _asked._ And with everything that's happened I guess I just gave him the benefit."

"Hmph!" Tulip laughed, inspecting the next gun, "You've changed."

"No." Lily countered calmly, "I haven't." With her weight shifting to stick her hip out, Tulip's glare let Lily know she didn't buy it. Lily raised her brow and shook her head at Tulip, "What!?" She shrieked defensively. "Oh, come _on_..." Tulip dragged, "You've softened up."

Lily lowered her head and glared up at her.

"Is the sex any good?" Tulip asked nonchalantly.

Lily felt the bourbon she'd just took a sip of burn her sinuses as it almost came out of her nose, " _Tulip_!" Lily choked out.

Cassidy was doing his very best not to listen the first while, but now he was just plain curious and it was impossible to tune them out when _he_ was their topic of choice.

"I'll take your cheeks turnin' that shade of red as a yes." Tulip said, lifting a leg as she leaned towards her, bringing the gun into her chest in both hands as she tilted her head back to her, speaking in pretty much a whisper, "Get laid, loosen up. Your softer side makes more sense now." Tulip stated.

"Give me that!" Lily said, disarming Tulip and shooting the gun herself.

 **BANG BANG BANG**

"So-" **BANG** "What is-" **BANG** " **-** it like?" **BANG** **BANG** Tulip yelled between Lily's gunshots, "Sex-" **BANG "-** with a vampire?" **BANG** Tulip asked with her eyebrows raised as she helped herself to the bottle they were sharing.

 **click click** The clip ran out and Lily side glared to Tulip as she reloaded, Tulip continued, "With _Cassidy_?..." She shivered in disgust, "Not an image I enjoy, no offense..." "I'm not having this conversation with you." Lily said sternly, holding the gun up again. "What!?" Tulip said high pitched, "Lily-" She sang, "Don't be weird. It's just natural - or maybe it's _not_ natural.. sex with a vampire, that is... but that's why I'm askin'!" She said enthusiastically.

 **BANG BANG BANG** **BANG BANG BANG**

With a deep breath Lily shook her head, lowering the gun and taking another swig from the bottle, staring forward again to the water in front of them. "Oh, come _onnn.."_ Tulip dragged teasingly, walking closer to her and sticking a hand on her hip, "Girls talk about this kind of stuff with each other all the time." Tulip whined, shrugging a shoulder as she swaggered over.

Lily dropped her shoulders and lowered her eyes at Tulip, "We just spent the last hour shooting five different kinds of hand guns, Tulip, we are _not_ your average girls having _girl_ talk." Lily lifted the gun again and closed an eye, shooting forward, **BANG BANG BANG BANG** **click click**

"And" Lily said, reloading the gun in her hands, "No offense, I'm not about to ask you the opposite." Lily cringed at the thought of getting details to do with her brother having sex.

"Alright, alright. Just tell me you _don't_ do any weird... vampirey-shit with him." Tulip said. Lily arched a brow, her hands busy reloading the gun, "What's that mean?" She asked. Tulip pursed her lips and bobbed her head side to side, "Like any weird, freaky, gross shit with your blood, you know?" Calmly, Lily scrunched her brow, "No." She huffed, unable to stifle her soft laugh, "Nothing like that." She stared at the ground thoughtfully a moment, remembering how upset Cassidy had been the time back in Annville about how stupid it had been for her to give him her blood.

In her train of thought, she continued, "I have needed to take a small dose of his every evening the past few days since that episode I had at Viktor's." Lily said simply.

Tulip turned to Lily slowly, placing the gun in her hands down, "What? Why?" She asked curiously with a slight streak of horror to her eyes. Suddenly, Lily realized how desensitized she really was with the whole situation, "Oh," She said suddenly not so nonchalant as she explained carefully, "It's just that - let me back it up a bit..." Lily breathed in, "What we're _thinking_ is the amount of his blood I had back at my old apartment in Worthington... after Ezra-" Her voice broke off a second, as Tulip nodded, "Well, I ingested a _lot_ of it, in the heat of the moment... And at Viktor's when my body started-"

"When all your bones shattered and you _literally_ died you mean?" Tulip clarified flatly, obviously forever scarred by that experience, "Yea," Lily exhaled, "Well his blood was what revived me, right? And then, that night I was starting to feel sore the same as the day before and he got pretty upset at the thought of it getting to that point again so we pretty much came to an agreement. " She admitted, "Figured our shit out." Lily said, using Tulip's words that she had advised them just a few days ago.

"You drink his blood. Regularly. Like it's a daily vitamin." Tulip asked in statement form. Lily nodded, "Yea." "Euuhk!" Tulip shivered, "I wouldn't think out of the two of you that _you'd_ be the one doing the blood sucking." "I don't _suck_ his blood from him, Tulip." She groaned, "It's not like that." Frustrated, Lily shook her head, "It's complicated. Just forget it."

"Ah!" Tulip said with a smile, "So you _do_ understand when life can get complicated, huh?" Lily flickered her eyes up to Tulip's as they exchanged understanding.

With a slight shake of the head, Tulip turned back to her with intent eyes, "So what now?" She asked, "You just rely on him being able to give you your daily dose every day until, what? You die? What happens if you're apart for more than a day, I mean, you're going to have to be eventually, right?"

With her face scrunching suddenly, her eyes flickered around, "I... hadn't thought that far." From the ways away he was, Cassidy's mind began to wander - never thinking that perspective.

"Seriously, Lily, you've got a major problem if you have no issue admitting and talking about all that blood-reliance stuff you just rambled about, but can't make up your mind of how you feel about him. Do you even _want_ to be around Cassidy? Or do you just tolerate him cause you have to?" Leaning back on the concrete block, Lily zoned out to the ground. She'd never thought about it like that, and suddenly she felt sort of trapped.

Cassidy didn't like the way Tulip had just put that. His face hardened.

"Hm." Lily sighed and looked back up to Tulip, "After all this God stuff is over and things have settled down I'll deal with that. Talk to him about it. All that stuff." She groaned. "Sound like there's no talkin' needed." Tulip stated, packing a few of the guns up as she began to disarm them. Lily arched a brow at her in confusion. "Well," Tulip continued, her hands busy, "You said so yourself - you're pretty sure you literally rely on him now - biologically, anyway. If that doesn't talk enough on it's own.."

Tulip lowered the gun, sensing Lily's turn of mood as Tulip quickly realized she'd thrown a wet towel on the fire they were having.

"Hey," She shrugged, "Don't over think it. I was just asking is all. Besides, you look better than ever. If that stuff makes you heal and glow like that, then... that's... a bonus." Tulip tried desperately to make a positive out of the fucked up situation. "You're right." Lily said, "I might be able to heal a lot quicker, but I'm also in a lot more danger." She finally stopped zoning out and began throwing the guns away in the bag she'd brought with her as she narrowed her brow, "Wouldn't need his fucking blood if I didn't get into the first altercation I did with him, anyway."

Cassidy felt his heart ache at her coldness.

"Danger is inevitable with people like us, Lil." Tulip said, waving the gun in her hand as proof, "Danger is... inevitable, and _exciting._ You think Jess and I have gotten where we are now by playing it safe?" She compared, "He drives me insane more times than he doesn't. As long as you're happy for the mean time, then fuck it. Go with it and enjoy it." With her words, Lily felt a little better and Cassidy could say the same, but there was still a pit in each of their guts.

He began to hear them walking towards him as he scrambled to hide in the shadows elsewhere. He followed them to eventually a busy street. There were many people, music and sounds, but he could still hear them through it all.

"Listen," Tulip said in a suddenly more serious tone as their heels clacked against the sidewalk, "I'm glad we did this. Caught up and all that. I know there was a lot of dark and disappointing stuff, but... we're caught up now, right? So let's put it all behind us. Focus on the good and fun stuff." Lily nodded, squeezing her arm that was entwined in hers as she glanced at her, "Like finding God?" Lily teased. grabbing out her phone to text Cassidy. Tulip laughed, "We can still have fun while we do that. Look at us now!" "We should get back." Lily laughed, "It's late." Tulip sighed, "You're right." She agreed.

With a sigh, Cassidy took a swig from the bottle tucked in his jacket, staring at the bottom of the bottle as the last of the liquid fell into his mouth.

Suddenly, his phone vibrated and it was a text from Lily.

 **Coming back soon.**

"Perfect timin'." He chuckled, tossing his empty bottle before catching a glance at the two of them standing on the street, waiting for a cab. He decided to make his way back to the apartment to make himself look like he'd been comfortable there this entire time before they got back.

Luckily, Jesse was sleeping in the bedroom when Cassidy arrived back - so he couldn't vouch that Cassidy had been gone all night as well.

Back in town, a cab pulled up to Lily and Tulip. Tulip's eyes caught a sign in the bar across the road **TEQUILA BAR** She gasped. "Tequila bar, Lil!" With a groan Lily smiled, "Oh no. I won't touch tequila since-" "Miami." Tulip finished, laughing hysterically, "I know! You were completely _fucked_." Suddenly, the bar's name in light's caught Lily's eye, "Fleur." She said, "That's French for flower." Lily stated, moving her eyes to Tulip at her side. Tulip shrugged her shoulders and raised her brow, "Perfect! It's got our names all over it!" With a groan of defeat, Lily slammed the cab door shut and gave into Tulip's wild eyes. They ran away from the cab and Tulip almost knocked Lily on her ass she collided with her with such enthusiasm, linking arms with her as they rushed across the road.

They'd only been sitting at the bar for twenty minutes or so before Lily's phone buzzed, Cassidy wondering where they were, she responded:

 **We found a tequila bar. Be a little longer.**

When Cassidy read her reply from the apartment, he scoffed, wishing he'd have stayed just a few extra minutes to have seen them neglect getting into the cab. "Unbelievable, these girls..." He rambled, lighting himself a cigarette as he paced around the living room.

* * *

Both Lily and Tulip had made themselves comfortable, trying various types and flavors of tequila - to Lily's dismay. Eventually, someone had come up to Lily and grabbed her shoulder. She turned, a little sluggish due to the amount of alcohol they'd consumed, to between Tulip and herself as the man stood between them. He was tall and he wore an intricate, out of place outfit. It looked like he'd time traveled from the Victorian era. He looked from Tulip to Lily with his piercing red eyes as he inhaled deeply. "Tell me," He sang in a voice that was dragged on in the twang of Old English, "Certain, one of you be a creature of the dark?"

" _Creature of the dark_?" Tulip asked, swaying a bit. "A vampire." The man clarified. Tulip gasped with a large laugh, "No, but her boyfriend is!" Tulip teased, pointing at Lily, who leaning into her jabbed her ribs with her elbow, "Tulip!" She hissed while she grinned, "How much did you pay this poor man to do this?" Tulip shook her head, raising her brows, "I didn't! I swear!" Lily didn't believe her.

The man seemed to ignore their shenanigans as he breathed in deep again, "This man-" His voice was well-rehearsed silky elegance, "He is the same as I?" Tulip laughed, drinking more tequila, "If you mean annoying enough to punch in the head, then, yes - _absolutely_ he is."

Ignoring Tulip, the tall man in costume pleaded to Lily grasping her shoulders, "You must take me to him!" The stranger demanded with great enthusiasm. Lily and Tulip cackled, nearly keeling over. "Oh yea!" Tulip gasped as she laughed, "Could you _imagine_?" She slapped Lily's shoulder, "Bringin' _him_ back to Cass?" Lily took a breath, tears in her eyes from the giggles as she wiped one away from the corner of her eye, "Listen, pal." She said raising her hands to his on her shoulders, shaking her head slowly, "I don't know how much my friend here paid you to put this act on. I don't have _any_ more cash to give you - we just spent the last of it." Her eyes were hardly able to keep themselves open, "So you can just quit now."

He stepped completely between the two of them, turned his back to Tulip, grabbing Lily urgently as if to take her with him. Both Lily and Tulip's high, lighthearted energy turned to straight pissed. With his hands on her arms, Lily glared at him, yanking her arm away from his grasp the same time Tulip jumped onto her feet, "Back off, asshole!" She threatened.

"Forgive me. It's just - " He choked on his words as he backed away slightly, "I simply haven't come across-" He said before suddenly, a tall, burly bouncer came up to them, hearing the commotion from not far away. "Is this freak givin' you ladies trouble?" He asked. Tulip stood up in her bar chair, "Yes!" She proclaimed, "He is!" And just like that, the bouncer pushed the stranger out of the bar, kicking him to the curb.

"What a wack job." Tulip scoffed, " _Creature of the dark_. Pfft." She laughed into her shot glass of tequila as she stared forward at the bar, "We _should've_ brought him back to Cass. That would've knocked some sense into him, ha!" Tulip laughed again. Lily was still turned, watching the man being dragged out of the bar. She blinked, "You seriously didn't pay that guy to say those things?" She asked. Tulip swayed her head to the left, "Nope." Lily took a breath, watching the last sight of the man dissapear as she felt her gut telling her it was far beyond time to go home.

* * *

Cassidy stood in the apartment, pacing as he finally came to the conclusion he was going back after them. He threw his coat on the same time he heard the front door begin to open. He ripped his coat off and jumped onto the couch and threw both of his legs up, crossing them as he grabbed a beer bottle and set his attention to the TV as if that was what he'd been doing his entire life.

As Tulip and Lily made their way back into the apartment, Cassidy did his best to look as nonchalant as possible.

"Cass-" Tulip slurred, "You're still awake."

He turned his head from the TV, "Yea."

Lily struggled to grab herself a glass of water before she walked into the bedroom and closed the door, locking it by habit. As she sighed, she guzzled back a giant glass of water, her head fuzzy from all of the alcohol they'd consumed the past couple of hours. She placed the glass down and turned towards the vanity. Taking a big breath, she began the seemingly-impossible task of taking off her jacket before she started taking off her jewelry. There was a thump just out the window before it slid open.

"You could've came through the door." Lily stated a little too loudly. As Cassidy crawled into the window, he chuckled, "Gettin' used t'it now, actually." He whispered, puffing on a cigarette. He did his best to keep the smoke outside of the room as he leaned against the window.

Suddenly, the draft from the room and the outside collided and something caught his nose. In an instant, his heart stopped - a smell so foreign yet so familiar. He went from stiff as a board to a frantic blur in a second. Sticking his upper half outside more to get a better smell, he inhaled again, losing track of the scent as he nearly fell out of the window.

It was getting more faint as he groaned in frustration. Just like that, he'd lost it. With a sigh, he stuck himself back into the bedroom and as he did, the scent came back.

More confused than anything, Cassidy stared back into the room - on the other side was Lily. Any other moment he'd be watching her strip of her clothing and accessories as she was nearly down to her undergarments now. Unfortunately, the scent was distracting him from the appealing display.

It became a lot more concerning that the stench was stronger the closer he got to her.

He inhaled from his cigarette, his eyes not moving from her as he removed the smoke from his mouth as his brow scrunched.

His brow narrowed as he stared at her.

It was the closest he'd been to her in hours, and when he finally got close enough to catch her scent, he realized the scent was coming right off of her. Her eyes caught him in his awkward movement towards her, as if she was a ticking time bomb, and she froze. "What?" Lily asked, wondering what his problem was. The tops of his eyes were peaking above the frames of his sunglasses, and she could see the look in them conveyed he was disturbed. Turning to him completely, she raised her brow, batting her tired eyes, "Hello?"

He walked quicker up to her, and as he did the scent got stronger. Finally he was in front of her. She looked up at him with equal amounts of concern and confusion. "Cass?" She asked. He ignored her, unable to focus on anything but the smell. He couldn't believe it. Quickly, he pulled her into him, leaning down so his nose was on her collar bone before he moved it up to the top of her head.

Deep under the scent he was thankful to still smell her natural scent, but the smell covering her natural one was much stronger. "You reek." Cassidy finally said with her still in his arms. Lily's brow dropped as she leaned back from him, "At least I _have_ the excuse of being around booze and cigarettes all night. What's yours?" She countered.

"No." Cassidy shook his head, "No. Not like that." With her mouth straight she looked up at him and turned her head. His face scrunched as he flashed his disturbed eyes at her, "You reek like another vampire."


	55. Rinse Off

"What's your issue?" Lily hissed quietly and impatiently, breathing heavy against Cassidy's lips. Her breath smelt as heavy as liquor as his did for once. She'd mounted Cassidy, who'd sat in an armchair in the corner of the bedroom, for quite some time now. She straddled him, her legs on either side of him. With her groin in such close quarters to his and the way she'd been practically dry humping him, he should have been rock solid against her, "I thought being a vampire would warrant being immune to whiskey dick." She stated in annoyance. With a huff, he pulled his lips from hers, his hands gripping her hips, "That's not my problem." He groaned. Her shoulders dropped as she leaned back from him.

"It's just-" He paused, "You reek o'that vamp. It's turning me off." She groaned, slouching forwards as she growled in frustration into his chest. He pushed her away, "Just try n'think harder." He pleaded. She was annoyed at him asking about it. She hadn't recalled anyone that reminded her of Cassidy, "I already _told_ you." She swayed a bit, "I have no idea, Cass-" "This vamp-" He interrupted, dipping his head down to peak his eyes above his frames up at her, "They _touched_ ye." Cassidy said certainly, trying to help her jog her memory. He sniffed her shoulder again, "Yer tellin' me y'had _so_ many people touchin' y'tonight, that y'can't recall!?" He hissed judgmentally, "I can smell it all over."

Scrunching her brow and squinting her eyes closed, she shook her head. The fire in her burned so badly and she just wanted to get laid but Cassidy was too wrapped up in this weird smell on her. " _No_." Lily spat back defensively, "I did _not_ have so any people touchin' me tonight that I can't recall." She mocked him. Taking a deep breath, she tried to clear her sex hungry hormones fogging up her head to try and focus. There was only one person who'd touched her all night other than Tulip - and it was the least suspect to be a vampire, which was more than ironic, since he was the only one that was the image of what a stereotypical rendition of a vampire was in the movies. He just seemed like a very over committed cosplayer.

She opened her eyes and Cassidy watched the light bulb slowly flicker on above Lily's head as her face dropped.

"What?!" He asked on the edge of his curiosity. Lily looked down at him, still straddling him but with no action happening. She arched a brow and took a quick breath, "He was _nothing_ like you. He.. he..." She looked up to the ceiling, shrugging her shoulders, struggling to find a way to describe him any other way, "He looked like discount _Dracula_." Cassidy arched a brow, confused a bit at her description as she continued, "He was dressed like a dusty Old English antique and he talked like he was just putting on some bit."

"Jus' cause he didn't look like me doesn't mean anythin'." Cassidy said, shaking his head, "Did he say anythin' t'ye?" Lily snorted, rubbing her face, "He came up to us asking if one of us was a _creature of the dark._ " She cringed at repeating his words, "After Tulip and I laughed in his face, he _specified_ to us that he meant vampire and we just kind of jerked him around thinking he was just some stupid act." She laughed again shaking her head with heavy eyes, "I honestly believed Tulip had somehow slipped him some cash while I was in the washroom to put on a show. It's impossible for me to think of him _actually_ being a vampire, Cassidy. I can't even imitate what this guy sounded like." She rubbed her face.

Though Lily was obviously not taking it very serious, Cassidy's face was hard and obviously bothered. Her smile faded away as he breathed in, "He asked ye if ye were a vampire cause he smelt me on you." Cassidy explained, "Jus' like I'm smellin' 'im all over ye right now." Lily blinked as he continued, "N'I wasn't even there fer ye." Cassidy had gone out of his way to keep and eye on Tulip and Lily the entire night and the last half hour they'd been without his eye on them they ran into another vampire? "He was harmless-" Lily justified, placing her hands on his chest, "He was thrown out of the bar by a bouncer in a heartbeat. Didn't even put up a fight-" "That doesn't matter." Cassidy spat, his tone a little more harsh. He was beyond annoyed at himself and the circumstance of it all. "Leave it t'yew t'go off on yer own fer once n'run into the first vampire I've ever heard of this side o'the world." He groaned bitterly.

Lily didn't know what to say. Inside, Cassidy's mind raced. He was torn. He wanted so badly to venture out and hunt for this mysterious vampire - but he didn't want to leave her. Lily exhaled, still on top of him, "So is this not happening then?" She asked in defeat. "Not unless y'ave a shower." Cassidy bartered. There was a snarky streak across her face and tone suddenly, "What do I need to do exactly to get the stench of a _vampire_ off my skin? Exfoliate with garlic...?" She rolled her eyes mockingly.

"No..." Cassidy scrunched his face as he shook his head with a smirk, "Just a simple rinse off'll do."

"...Rinse off with Holy Water?" Lily continued with her attitude, "Wait til morning and burn it off in the sunlight?..." Cassidy exhaled, "Sounds like y'aren't really familiar wit how a ' _simple rinse off_ ' works." He mocked back, "Guess you need some help."

Suddenly, she wasn't so sassy. "No." She sang softly, turning her head. She began to push her hands off his chest to move herself off of him. At the same time his grasp on her hips tightened, "No, no." He insisted, "Y'wanna be a smart ass? Fine." He jumped up onto his feet, her legs still around his hips as she stifled a yelp as she flopped her upper half over his shoulder. With his face in her upper body, his nose caught a slight trail of her natural scent buried beneath the layer of stench, motivating him to get them to the shower as quickly and quietly as possible.

* * *

 _THE NEXT MORNING_

"Shit!" Lily hissed looking around the kitchen. "Wot!?" Cassidy yelled in concern from the couch in the living room. "Shit, shit, shit. SHIT!" Lily said in panic. "Wot!?" Cassidy yelled louder, jumping up to his feet and running towards her, Dennis' eyes following the commotion from the arm chair he sat at in the living room. The bedroom door where Tulip and Jesse stayed in opened, and Tulip stepped out with a towel on her head, "What's going on?" She asked. Lily glanced from the kitchen to Tulip as Cassidy stood beside her, his eyes wide with concern behind his sunglasses.

"I forgot my coat at that _stupid_ bar." Lily whined, throwing her arms out. Cassidy's shoulders dropped the same time his brow did, "Are ye fokin' _jokin_ ' me?" He groaned angrily. Tulip nodded at Lily, not phased by her overreaction to something so little, "Call them." Tulip suggested simply, "Probably still there." "Yer freakin' out like that all cos of a _jacket_?!" Cassidy yelled before he turned down the hallway to walk back to the living room, swearing beneath his breath, "Givin' me a bloody heart attack. Over wot? A jacket." He grovelled, flopping back down on the couch. "I had it when we left the restaurant, right?" Lily asked, looking on a map on her phone for the bar they were at.

"Ya." Tulip said, taking the towel off her head as she began drying her hair.

"Can I take your car?" Lily asked, snatching her purse in a hurry. "Go ahead." Tulip said with her toothbrush in her mouth. "I'll come wit ye." Cassidy groaned from the living room as he walked up to her past Dennis still sitting on the arm chair. Dennis' eyes followed the blur of Cassidy and caught Lily's obvious efforts to leave the apartment. "Hey!" Dennis said, struggling to catch his breath as he rocked out of the arm chair and shuffled towards the fridge in the kitchen.

Cassidy stood between the two of them. Lily was bent over to her feet, rushing to tie her boots as Dennis talked to her, _"I need some more meds-"_ He hacked, _"The other ones aren't cutting it alone anymore."_ "Ya _."_ Lily said, not looking up, " _Just give it to_ Cassidy." She said in French. As Cassidy heard his name, his eyes stuck themselves to Dennis, who didn't look at him. Instead, Dennis stared at Lily a moment before slowly turning back around and leaving the paper on the counter behind him. Cassidy narrowed his brow at Dennis' back, watching him shuffle back into the living room as he snatched the paper, noting it to be another prescription.

With a quick breath, Lily flipped herself back upright, "K. Let's go." She said urgently, snagging Tulip's keys from the kitchen table and opening the front door.

"Hey!" Jesse yelled, jumping out the bedroom door as he was clearly in the middle of getting dressed, "Where the Hell are ya goin'?" "Be right back, Jesse!" Lily said. "You better!" He said, "We have to get to-" "The library," Lily finished, "I know!"

Tulip spat the toothpaste foam out of her mouth from the washroom as she leaned out the doorway of it, "Hey! Pick up some damn aspirin. And some greasy take out. And I could use about two liters of diet cola!"

"K!" Lily yelled, closing the door behind her and Cassidy.

* * *

"Is this the place y'saw that other vamp?" Cassidy asked, standing beneath an umbrella as Lily pressed her face against the glass of the bar, sheltering her eyes to better see. "Uh-" She said, distracting as she began moving her head around to look for someone inside while she banged on the glass with her fist, "Yea, actually, it is." Cassidy looked around, breathing in deep and not noticing any trail of any scent worth noting.

"Ooh!" Lily said, lifting to her tip toes as she waved against the glass, noticing a woman walking to the door to unlock it. With relief, Lily saw her jacket in the woman's arms, "Thank you!" She said with great enthusiasm. Cassidy chuckled lightly, as the woman closed the door and locked it again. "Alright. To a pharmacy fer Dennis." Cassidy proclaimed, "Pretty sure there's one jus' around the corner, 'ere." They walked around the block and sure enough there was a pharmacy.

Lily grabbed the aspirin for Tulip and Cassidy had filled Dennis' prescription.

"Thanks." Cassidy said to the pharmacist as he swiped the little white prescription bag up, Lily following him out onto the street again as they began to walk down the block towards the car again. Cassidy popped open his umbrella and with a grin, he reached into the inside of his jacket, shaking a couple of orange bottles, "Got a chance t'swipe these when she wasn't lookin', heh." He chuckled at himself, shaking the bottle of pills as he nudged her in excitement.

With her eyebrows raised slightly, Lily exhaled, "You stole someone's medicine?.." She stated, shaking her head at the ground, "Cassidy. What if someone stole Dennis's medicine, how would that make you feel?" She scolded, as if it was going to help any. "PFFT!" Cassidy laughed, "A bloody inhaler? No one's gonna steal that shite. Pharmacist will jus' refill th'pills fer whos'ever anyway." He justified, "N'since when are yew such a saint?"

A smile spread across Lily's lips at Cassidy's argument, leaning to take a look at one of the bottles, "Prempro Conjugated .. Medroxy...progesterone." Lily read, typing it into her phone as quickly as she read it. Cassidy straightened his lips and nodded, "Sounds fun t'me." Lily scrunched her brows up to him, "You transitioning or something?" She asked.

"Transitioning into wot?" Cassidy asked, not following. Lily flashed her eyes at him, "A woman?" Cassidy shook his head in confusion. "That's just estrogen, Cass." She said with a smirk. "Wot!?" He whined, bringing the bottle to his eyes, " 'Ow d'ya know!?"

She held her phone up to his face to show her internet research and she couldn't refrain from laughing at the look on his face, "Good thing Cassidy works well in feminine form." Lily teased. With a groan, Cassidy threw the bottles into the garbage can they walked by. She was still laughing and he couldn't help but join her banter of amusement.

Their joint high spirit gradually diminished as they continued walking down the street back towards the car. With Cassidy's mind wandering, he thought about Lily and Tulip's conversations he'd listened into from just the night before. He didn't want her to feel trapped or like she hadn't had a choice to be with him. It was already hard enough to get her to openly show any sort of affection - if she had the complex of being trapped in something, Cassidy knew it would only push her away more.

"I was thinkin'... we're together, right." Cassidy stated a tone that seemed like a question, but it was clearly a statement. Lily was quiet, and Cassidy continued before she had a chance to say anything cold, "Yet I 'aven't even taken ya out on a proper date." As she stared at the sidewalk they trailed down, she took a breath before looking at him at her side, "When would we have found the time for that?" She asked.

Cassidy shrugged, "You found time fer Tulip last night!" He claimed. She straightened her lips as her eyes looked upwards at the sky. He continued grabbing her hand with his free hand, his other hand holding the umbrella and Dennis' prescription bag, "Let's go now." He pulled her under the shade of his umbrella as she looked up at him discouragingly, "I know a place that you'll love.." He said, trying to follow in Tulip's footsteps of just springing it on her and not giving her much choice. Cassidy squeezed on her hand, "C'mon!" He mused, "Please. Jus- A quick date."

Lily inhaled, "Cassidy-" She rasped turning her back to him and walking towards the car, "Not now. Tulip's relying on a hangover cure pick up." He wasn't about to give up - Tulip didn't - and eventually, it ended up working for her. Before he could catch up to her, Cassidy stopped in his tracks, losing his train of thought completely.

He noticed a scent - _the_ scent - that hit him as if he ran straight into a wall.

Noticing him not at her side, Lily turned from a few steps in front of him, "Cassidy." She dropped her shoulders, expecting he was just being dramatic and acting up to her declining the date offer, "We don't have _time_ now." She explained, looking up at him as his eyes refused to look at her, "Jesse's going to kill us if we're not back at the apartment-"

She noticed the disgruntled look on his face as he sniffed a couple times, his fists clenched hard - the grip he had in one hand of the pharmacy bag nearly ripping through it. With her eyes flickering from his death grip to his face, Lily realized there was something more wrong, "What?" She asked in concern, grabbing his arm.

He sniffed a few more times, and behind his sunglasses Lily saw his eyes shut as he tilted his head up more, inhaling deeper. Lily shifted her eyes around, turning her head to look around as if she might be able to see what his problem was. As he clenched his fists tighter, the pharmacy bag's thin paper ripped - dropping to the ground. Lily looked down at the bag on the sidewalk, up to Cassidy's face again - too confused to say anything. Lily waited, until finally Cassidy opened his eyes again. "C'mon." He said, wrapping his arm around her and yanking at her while he rushed them on. She glanced briefly at the white pharmacy bag on the ground before turning her head back to him.

" _What_ is going on!?" She asked as he ran while he continued to pull her by the hand, "Cassidy I swear to God, I don't know where you're thinking you're dragging me right now, but we do NOT have time for this shit- " "I got a whiff of the vamp." He said shortly. Lily's words suddenly dried up, getting into the drivers seat of the vehicle as Cassidy practically threw her towards it.

"Left!" Cassidy pointed in front of her face, his head practically out the window like a dog as he tracked the scent, "Right! I said right!" Lily reefed on the wheel at Cassidy's guidance - a twenty minute zig-zaggy adventure, usually last second orders on his part. She ran over a curb and got a couple middle fingers, but eventually, he was finally satisfied, "Stop!" He said. Lily pulled to the side quickly, "Jesus." She said, placing the car in park. With a deep breath in and out she looked to him at her side, noticing his face long as he stared at out the windshield in front of them, a large and aged Gothic style mansion. "It's 'im." He said lowly, "It's the vamp from last night."


	56. Eccarius

When they approached the top step in front of the large front doors, they opened - seemingly on their own, creaking loudly as they waved inwards to the large mansion. Lily felt her heart speed up in anticipation - unsure what to expect. Cassidy didn't seem at all worried about any sort of threat - his demeanor was entirely curious. When they saw the man that greeted them, they involuntarily stiffened in unison.

The man had long, nearly white, silver hair that waved at the draft of the door opening in, what seemed to be, sync with the cape draped around his shoulders. His eyes were bright red, his skin was nearly translucent, and the clothing he wore was as if it was out of the Victorian era.

"Yer like me." Cassidy said simply. The man smirked and blinked slowly, "That I am." His words were very articulate and he talked the exact way he looked - anciently, "Pleasure to see you again," He said to Lily, who stared back at him with nothing to say. "Please," He insisted, stepping into his doorway to invite them in. He extended his arm, lifting his heavy cape that was hanging over his shoulders as he did so, "Come in. Be welcome."

Lily didn't even have a chance to look at Cassidy before he made his way inside, the man closing the doors behind them with a heavy boom that echoed through the large house. Squinting, Lily did her best to look around in the gloomy area as it was very dimly lit. Any trace of light was from candle - there were no light bulbs in sight. There were rib vaults around the ceiling areas, stained glass windows, elaborate tracery - anything that she could see looked to be from the dark ages.

Feeling uneasy, Lily followed close to Cassidy as they walked down the dark halls, the only thing to light the way was the candle lantern in the strangers hands as he glided swiftly in front of them. With her heart pacing a bit quicker, she grabbed Cassidy's arm, mostly for better guidance in the darkness. "Please. Relax." The stranger said, and Lily wondered if he heard her heart racing the way it was as they arrived in a study area. Cassidy made himself comfortable in a large regal armchair as Lily felt unfit to be anything but standing, finding herself leaning against the chair Cassidy sat in as she tried to see more details of the room they were in.

The man stood across them, a table in between as he poured liquid into three copper goblets. "My name. "He paused, "Is Eccarius." Eccarius proclaimed, pouring the liquid from a decanter into the first goblet before moving to the next.

"Cassidy." Cassidy spoke up eagerly, "This is Lily." He introduced. Eccarius' piercing red eyes looked up from pouring for a moment, moving to the third glass as he smiled at Lily, "Lily." He repeated, "Yes. We met last night." Lily felt her cheeks heat up a bit as she pressed her lips politely, "I'm sorry about that..." She began, remembering how drunk Tulip and her were and how they had treated him, "I didn't think it was possible to meet another vampire." Lily justified, "One seemed already a bit of a stretch." She glanced at Cassidy at her side, thankful to see the both of them chuckle.

"To be honest," Cassidy chimed in, "It's hard fer me t'believe, too." He admitted, "Thought I was the only one on this side of the world. In me near century in this continent - I've seen some shite... Never crossed paths wit'another vampire."

"I, myself, do not particularly venture out to areas with such a dense amount of population." Eccarius justified, "But-" He inhaled, "I smelt her - nay -" He corrected, his eyes narrowing at Cassidy before moving them back to Lily, "I smelt _you_ on her. All over her." Eccarius grinned, "I was certain it was she herself. I simply could not resist following my nose into the busy streets to track it."

Lily's throat dried. The thought of smelling like a vampire was not something she never took into consideration. She wasn't sure if she meant for her knees to give out on purpose or not as she found herself suddenly sitting on the large arm rest of the chair Cassidy was sitting in.

Eccarius glided towards them with goblets in hand, handing one to each of them and keeping one for himself. Too hungover, Lily couldn't even look into the goblet at the booze, let alone drink from it. The thought of a swig of anything right now made her ill.

"Hm." Cassidy huffed grabbing the goblet and leaning back into the regal armchair as he adjusted his sunglasses on his nose. He was relieved to finally take a swig of whatever liquor the goblet held.

His eyes went wide as he leaned forward, spitting out a big, misty cloud of spatter from his mouth as Lily leaned away in a startle, nearly falling off the arm of the chair she'd just perched herself on. "This is _blood_!" Cassidy choked out surprisingly. Lily watched him grab the corners of his lips and wipe them off. Shifting her eyes from Cassidy to Eccarius, Lily began to wonder what kind of situation this was and how she ended up in the middle of it.

"Of course." Eccarius said, "What else?" Cassidy's brow narrowed, peaking his eyes into Lily's cup as he snatched it out of her hands, with hardly a sniff he knew hers, too, was full of blood. Cassidy scoffed, glaring at Eccarius as he took a moment to study the neutral look in his eyes.

"Can I interest you in something else?" Eccarius asked calmly.

"What about booze?" Cassidy growled annoyingly, "Whiskey? Beer? Rye? Hell! Anythin' wit any amount o'alcohol innit?" "Hm-" Eccarius hummed, shifting his eyes, "Wine?" "Jaysis Christ." Cassidy groaned under his breath, "Sure. Wotever."

"Will white suffice for the both of you?" Eccarius asked as he displayed a bottle of white wine in his hands towards them. Lily couldn't help but exchange a glance with Cassidy, taking a sharp breath in as she looked back at Eccarius with a polite smile, "Sure." She said, since Cassidy was clearly at a loss for words.

Lily hated white wine, but even if she _wasn't_ too hungover to drink anything - she wasn't about to ask for anything red.

Eccarius was quick to pour two new goblets of white wine for Cassidy and Lily as he continued to sip his blood. Cassidy watched disturbingly as the three of them sat in the middle of the study. "I can respect your decision." Eccarius said gently as he shook his head, raising his chin, "My new found friend... You are not alone in the two of us, each a lord of nightfall, piercing veins and drinking of crimson-" "Ah, _fuck_!" Cassidy spat, interrupting Eccarius and causing him to stiffen in surprise at Cassidy's harshness. With a quiet inhale, Lily looked to Cassidy at her side, holding the goblet in her hand politely as Cassidy's shoulders dropped, "Yer jus' a fokin' wanker!"

In an instant - Cassidy's pure curiosity had turned to fury. Lily's eyes widened as Cassidy's narrowed, "No wonder Lily had such a hard time believin' ye - are y' _listenin'_ t'yerself, man?" Cassidy bellowed.

"I beg of your pardon?" Eccarius asked, taken aback by Cassidy's sudden bite to his tone, "That's _jus'_ wot I'm sayin!" Cassidy pointed a hang out at him, "Talkin' like that. Lookin' like that. All this!?" Cassidy held his arms out, goblet still in hand, "Yer jus' a wanker!"


	57. Tied Up

As Eccarius and Cassidy continued talking, Lily was still in the same position, on the arm of the chair Cassidy was in. Leaning her arm cover the top of the chair, she looked around, her eyes a bit better adjusted as she began studying the surrounding areas. Walls of books, antiques and art pieces covered the area.

Lily was quite interested in the conversations Cassidy and Eccarius had been having the past while they'd been there. She stared forward at Eccarius, sitting with his legs crossed in front of them, his perfectly fit high wasted pants and his Victorian style white shirt tucked into them - his cape draped perfectly to his side as it hung from the regal armchair as if he'd been practicing the pose he was currently in for longer than he'd been a vampire. With a shallow breath Lily looked back at his luminous eyes that were staring at Cassidy studiously.

She looked at Eccarius' vivid and cloudless red eyes and wondered why Cassidy's weren't the same, or his the same as Cassidy's. In fact, they were polar opposite. Eye color seemed to be the last on their list for the two of them to talk about, but mentally, Lily added it to the list of a thousand questions she now had after listening to their conversations.

Her eyes moved from Eccarius to the opposing sight, which of course, was Cassidy, down at her side - his legs spread apart, his elbow on his one knee as he puffed a cigarette and popped yet _another_ bottle of wine to pour into his goblet, drinking from the bottle before he poured more into his glass.

Cassidy had been nothing short of irritated at Eccarius for the past hour they'd been talking, and Eccarius had been entirely composed and calm regardless of Cassidy's crudeness. The moment Cassidy realized he was so casual about drinking blood among other things to do with Eccarius' lifestyle, his curiosity from the beginning dwindled and annoyance took over. It was like he was now struggling to do damage control - doing his own version of preaching; how to be a vampire the _right_ way.

They were onto their next topic - Eccarius had asked how he'd so recklessly risked his life making his way to Eccarius today in the broad daylight.

"You _dare_ tempt the limits of our nature?" Eccarius reveled as Cassidy explained how there was no need to coop up all day.

Another few minutes and they were onto the next topic...

"Ye sleep in a _coffin_?!" Cassidy yelled, raising his brow before he leaned back, "O'course y'do." He growled to himself into his goblet, "Stupid fokin' question." Cranking his neck back, he downed the glass, pouring another.

From her jacket pocket, Lily's phone vibrated, yanking her out of spectating the conversation. She took it out, the bright back light of her phone lit her entire face up in the dark room as she attended to her phone briefly, drowning out Cassidy and Eccarius' dialogue.

 **Was dying of hangover starvation here so w** **e ordered delivery. A lot of it.**

 **And I guess we'll just walk to the library since Jesse's gettin impatient and u still have my wheels.**

Lily groaned to herself, feeling bad for leaving Tulip high and dry like she did, quickly messaging her back:

 **Sorry - tied up. Probably be a little while longer.**

 **Meet you at the library.**

Placing her phone onto her lap, Lily listened to Cassidy and Eccarius go back and forth, until her phone buzzed again.

 **Tied up?  
**

 **Better not be doing anything gross in my car!**

With a feeble laugh through her nose, Lily typed back:

 **Not like that.**

Right away, Lily could see Tulip had read the message as she began typing again, Lily read:

 **U ok?**

Lily blinked, debating how to respond. She finally decided on not opening up any more cans of worms for the time being:

 **Ya. See you soon.**

Lily had to go to the washroom for a while now, but there was no way she was about to go anywhere in the dark, large house on her own. It was getting harder and harder to hold it, and she could feel her bladder begin to get sore. **  
**

Suddenly, Cassidy's tone softened as he turned to her, "Everythin' alright?" He asked her as if he could read her mind. She raised her brows to him and he glanced quickly to her phone still lit up in her hands. Pressing her lips together in a smile with a nod, "Yea." Lily said, her voice hoarse as she hadn't said a word in a while. Placing her phone back in her pocket while she looked down at him, catching his eyes from her view slightly above him on the arm rest of the chair.

"The two of you make an intriguing pair." Eccarius claimed, glancing at the half dozen empty bottles Cassidy had downed.

" _Intriguing?_ " Cassidy repeated, his soft tone switching back to the harsh and annoyed tone it had been the past hour. He huffed, drinking from another wine bottle, "Wot's _that_ suppose to mean, exactly?" He asked rather harshly, already knowing he wasn't going to like his response. Eccarius smiled softly, not moving a muscle, "Your coexistence. So... nontraditional." Lily noted the way Eccarius had been speaking - so composed and smoothly - and she began to wonder if the raise he was getting out of Cassidy was exactly what he wanted.

Lily's eyes suddenly moved from Eccarius' to Cassidy at her side,from who she could practically feel the heat wave radiating off of. He leaned forward in the chair slowly, and Lily caught herself holding her breath, "Wot th'Hell d'ya mean by that?" He hissed, asking the loaded question.

"Forgive my forwardness," Eccarius justified, "I meant for it but not to be anything than a compliment." Cassidy chuckled in a sarcastic manner as he leaned back into the chair, " _Nontraditional_." He scoffed, finishing off another glass of wine before grabbing the bottle sitting between them, "Wot in the Hell would _yew_ know anythin' about tradition? Y'sleep in a coffin. Wear a fokin' cape n'clothes that aren't anythin' like wot y'really are, n'ye got a stupide way of talkin' that jus' makes it really reeeally hard t'hold any kind'o conversation wit'ye."

It was hard to understand Cassidy with the combination of how fast he was talking. The more he drank the thicker his accent got and it began sounding like a different language completely at times. Cassidy pointed at Eccarius, "No. I know wot yer gettin' at-" He glared.

Lily couldn't handle the high tensity any longer, "Cass-" She said, reaching forward to grab his shoulder. He turned to her immediately, and she was glad it didn't take much to put a stop to his words, "We should get going." Lily said softly to him, "Meet my brother and Tulip... time's ticking, you know?" She justified.

Looking up at her and studying her eyes, Cassidy nodded, "Alright." He groveled, sniffing as he threw the wine bottle on the table with a heavy **clink.** Lily was already relieved to notice Cassidy's mood ease up.

Without another word, they made their way out of the study and back to the front door, and if Lily was being honest to herself, she didn't like that she couldn't see or barely hear Eccarius behind them as they walked towards the entrance they'd come from.

It was relieving to see the large, heavy door open again as the fresh air from outside proved to make Lily feel less anxious already. Cassidy turned a moment, studying Eccarius - who didn't dare leave the line between his home and the outside - one last time as Eccarius raised his brow with a handsome smile, "Surely we will cross paths again."

Cassidy threw his hood up, "Sure." He said flatly, placing his hands in his pockets and turning to walk down the stairs leading back down to the street, "C'mon." Lily glanced back at Eccarius and pressed her lips into a smile politely, turning back towards Cassidy as she followed his wavering steps towards Tulip's car.


	58. Parallel Universe

**NEW ORLEANS LIBRARY**

"Nice of you two to join us." Jesse stated sarcastically from the large table him and Tulip had covered with any literature related to the Saint. The library was empty, other than all of them and a receptionist on the floor above them, "Yea, yea.." Lily groaned. Tulip raised a brow, "What did you two get caught in?" Lily inhaled, catching Cassidy's eyes and reading them in instant, "Just usual shit." She played it off, sitting at the table and changing the subject, "Nothing's ever easy, you know?"

With a deep breath, Jesse raised his chin at her with a smile, "Well you got your jacket back, that's what's most important, right?" Regardless of his sweet tone and smile, Lily knew very well when she was being mocked.

She rolled her eyes towards Tulip, "What have you found so far?"

Tulip sighed, leaning back in her chair as she held her arms out to the piles of books, tapes and other literature. They'd spent several minutes going over everything in front of them. They didn't know much, but they what they knew, they knew for sure.

The Saint was tracking them, more specifically Jesse, and even _more_ specific than that - Genesis. Each time Jesse had used it, he was able to track them.

Because of that fact, Jesse was refraining from using Genesis - well, he _had_ been, until the Viktor situation came up. Thinking Tulip was in trouble, he used Genesis and he used it a _lot_.

Which meant the Saint was well on his way by now.

So it was simple.

Tracking God down without Genesis proved to be impossible. Jesse was set to believe the gift of the Word had been given to him for the sole purpose of finding God. He needed to be able to use Genesis again. They couldn't keep running. They had to find a way to get rid of the Saint completely so they could focus on their main priority - finding God.

Now, they just had to figure out how to do that exactly.

"So what _are_ our leads, exactly?" Lily asked. Jesse shook his head, "The God audition tape seems like a dead end. We haven't hit all the jazz clubs yet. We could try a few more of those - after we get rid of the Saint of course." With her eyes in a book, Lily raised her brows, "Hmph!" She chuckled.

"What?" Jesse asked sharply. Lily rolled her eyes, "The jazz clubs got us no where. All we found was a bunch of assholes and a dominatrix's wet dream." She said, remembering the disturbing sight of the man in the head to toe dalmatian suit, tied up and ready to be used. It was an image that was hard to remove from their memory.

Beside her, Cassidy cackled, remembering how petrified the Custers had looked side by side in that moment.

"Ya," Jesse defended, "But I wasn't using Genesis any of those bars we tried." Lily interrupted him, "I'm _not_ into the idea of being in the middle of any more of your's and Cassidy's petty bar fights, either." Lily spat, turning the page in the book in front of her. Tulip perked up, "Bar fight? You guys get into shit without me?" She whined.

Lily flickered her eyes up to Tulip briefly, "Key word _petty_ , Tulip." Her eyes moved back down to the book in front of her, "Was just some asshole being a loud mouth and suddenly these two have him on the ground with a beer bottle lodged down his throat."

"It wasn't a _fight_." Cassidy said defensively, "Did ye see that gobshite put up any sort of fight, Jess?" Jesse's head remained down towards the book in front of him, but he peeked his eyes up to Cassidy maliciously, unable to refrain from smirking.

Lily inhaled, "Whatever." She huffed, "I still think we can retire that effort."

It was quiet a moment as they all read anything in front of them. Jesse looked up at Cassidy, "I think it's worth looking into the crypto-fasicts Lara told me about." Cassidy scrunched his face and dropped the book in his hand down to the table, as if he'd been reading it at all. While Tulip shot her wide eyes up to Jesse, burning into him with laser vision.

"The men in the white suits?" Cassidy groaned, shaking his head at Jesse, "Padre, I already told ye- the reptilians, _way_ more likely-"

The kickstart of Cassidy's rambling was interrupted by Tulip, "Who's Lara?" She asked sharply. Lily's eyes moved up from the book in front of her and she felt herself tense up by instinct at Tulip's sudden confrontational tone. Cassidy moved his eyes from Jesse to Tulip, smiling in entertainment.

Not phased by her harshness, Jesse glanced at Tulip briefly, "This lounge singer I met." He said nonchalantly, heating Tulip up more, before turning his attention back to Cassidy, "Enough about your reptilian conspiracy theory Cass-" "Hmm." Tulip said, batting her long eyelashes as she looked up at the ceiling. Crossing her arms on the table, she began leaning forward, popping a shoulder out, "Lara the lounge singer." She exhaled, staring off dreamily.

Jesse glared towards her quick before Cassidy chimed in, "Ah, yea I remember now, y'were quite excited about her." He mused, adding gas to the fire.

Suddenly, Jesse felt less aloof, "No I wasn't." He said calmly.

"Yea, ye were." Cassidy whined, "All flustered-like." The three of them could almost see the steam beginning blow out of Tulip's ears. Lily glared at Cassidy, "No he wasn't." She defended, trying to defuse the silly argument.

Cassidy ignored Lily and threw an arm outwards as he widened his eyes at Jesse, "Y'weren't excited when y'came barrellin' into Dennis' apartment, rantin' t'us about it!?" He said rhetorically.

"Ya I was excited." Jesse said, "Excited about the lead she gave me about the crypto-fasicts. Not her."

"Anyways." Lily dragged loudly, "We're getting off track." She stated.

There was a brief pause, before Cassidy moved on, "Well if it means anythin'-" He said, "I don't think the God audition tape should be written out yet." He continued conversation as if it wasn't obviously Tulip was ready to strangle Jesse. "Why not?" Jesse asked curiously, "All we have is a hand and a gun." Tulip raised a brow at Jesse, ignoring Cassidy, "Why are you bein' so defensive right now then?"

Lily sighed as Tulip kept going on. She worried Tulip might knock her brother out before they figured out a solution to the Saint problem.

"Sure-" Cassidy said, only focused on Jesse, "But we can still get somethin' from that gun. Can only be so many o'that pistol out there."

Jesse turned his head to Tulip, leaning closer to her as she was leaning closer to him, the two of them staring into the core of one another, "I'm not being defensive." Jesse's voice was soft but stern, "She was in trouble, and I helped. That's it." He turned his head back to Cassidy, "You mean track down who'sever pistol that was?" He scrunched his brow.

"Helping's good." Tulip stated.

Cassidy shook his head, "Yea, like, take th'tape t'some CSI special investigation type people. Y'know like the TV shows were they use all their fancy lights n'shite t'find sperm all over the crime scene an-"

"C'mon, Cass." Jesse shook his head. Lily had perked up and leaned forward, pointing a finger at Cassidy, "He's right." Cassidy was surprised at her statement, perking up a bit. Jesse looked to his sister, his brow narrowing his disbelief, "You want to hire a special investigation team to track for sperm in-" Lily shook her head and rolled her eyes, " _No_. He's right about having someone take a closer look at it." Cassidy and Jesse stared at her, "If we find the right people, they could take the footage and expand the picture. Maybe we could see something more."

Tulip's eyes were still on Jesse, "You should _always_ offer a helpin' hand to a woman in need."

Jesse quickly turned his head to Tulip, speaking between his teeth now as his patience was wearing thing, "I couldn't agree more-" He turned his head back to Lily as he leaned eagerly towards her, "What do you think they'll see?"

"All the guns I have right now have serial numbers that would trace back to Beneke."

"You think the serial number will turn up?" Lily shrugged as Jesse searched her face, realizing that idea might just work. Jesse's heart raced at the thought of having an actual lead.

Tulip pulled Jesse out of his high, "What else did you and this Lara get into?"

Jesse's face dropped, turning from his sister to Tulip as he bared his teeth at her and burned his eyes into her, "I didn't _marry_ her, Tulip, OK?" Jesse spat. Lily and Cassidy suppressed the urge to laugh, let alone smirk. Tulip's face softened as she leaned back in defeat.

Lily cleared her throat, "I'm going to go explore the shelves." She stated, turning and walking away so she could snicker. "Me too." Cassidy stated, walking the opposite direction of Lily just to get away from Jesse and Tulip.

* * *

Several more minutes had gone by and Lily had found herself searching the far end of the library on her own.

Suddenly, Cassidy's phone rang, vibrating erratically against the table. "Dennis?" Cassidy asked, listening to Dennis on the other side as he rambled quickly in french.

"Hold- Hold on-" Cassidy said, putting him on speaker, "Lily!" He yelled across the library. From far down the way, Lily poked her head out of a row of books, watching Cassidy run towards her. She dropped the books in her hand and stood up right, making her way quickly towards Cassidy.

"What?" She asked in concern, her brow narrow. "It's Dennis." He said, speaking so quickly it was hard to understand, "He- He- He sounds like he's strugglin' or somethin' listen t'im I-I think somethin's wrong." She nodded, taking the phone and placing it up to her ear, " _Denis_?" She asked. She paused, listening to Dennis' urgent plea to rescue him from the clutches of the Saint.

Lily's face affirmed Cassidy's worst assumption - something _was_ wrong - as she looked past Cassidy to her brother before quickly rushing towards him, "The Saint." She said calmly, "He's there at the apartment. He has Dennis."

Cassidy was frantic, "What!?" He asked from behind her, "Jess-"

Jesse stood up, meeting Lily half way and grabbing the phone from her. Like a light switch, Lily watched her brother's energy change as Genesis flowed out of his mouth. " **Leave him alone.** " He demanded, "I'm comin'."

* * *

 **DENIS' APARTMENT**

At the bottom of the stairs of the apartment complex, Lily, Cassidy, Tulip and Dennis sat, waiting helplessly as Jesse faced the Saint by his lonesome up in the apartment. It had only been minutes but it felt like hours.

Dennis was winded, sitting on the bottom of the stairs, and clearly shaken up. Cassidy did his best to try and seem as comforting as possible, and Dennis was too exhausted to tell him to piss off.

Lily looked up at Tulip. With a sigh, Tulip flickered her eyes up the stairs, "What do you think is happening up there?" Lily shook her head, blinking at the floor, "I don't know." She said honestly.

"We should be up there with him." Tulip growled between her teeth. Inhaling, Lily crossed her arms and her shoulders stiffened, "Jesse said stay put." She said sharply.

Tulip was frustrated, obviously. But it wasn't much longer before Jesse walked down the stairs towards him - his face told them that things were not taken care of. He cleared his throat as Lily, Tulip and Cassidy stared at him anxiously.

"I have to go get him somethin'." Jesse whispered. Tulip fluttered her eyes, "What? We'll come with you." Jesse shook his head, pressing his lips together, "No." He said, "You guys need to stay here." He whispered. Suddenly, a feeling so chilling, almost similar to the feeling Genesis gave, consumed all of them, leaving them unable to do anything but stare at the top of the stair case as the Saint stopped in his tracks, looking down at them.

Cassidy watched Lily and Tulip stare up at him with equal amounts of disturbance, their eyes flickering back to Jesse. "You're making us stay here with _him_?" Lily hissed. Jesse grabbed his sisters arm, talking between his teeth as he stared her in the eye. "I have no choice." He spat regretfully.

Like nails on a chalkboard, The Saint's voice bellowed down at them, "Less than an hour, Preacher." He warned. The hairs on all of their skin stood up and they each felt the cold chill that radiated off of the Saint's presence. "I'll be back." Jesse promised to them.

 **40 MINUTES LEFT**

It had been only 15 minutes in the apartment but it had felt like 15 days.

In the living room, Cassidy stood in front of the TV while Tulip sat on a couch, Dennis sitting on the other and Lily standing by the fire place. They all stayed in the living room area together, not much to say between them.

"What do y'suppose Jess is gettin'?" Cassidy asked softly towards the girls. Tulip shrugged her shoulders and sighed, leaning forward in the chair as she placed her hands under her chin and rested it, "I don't know, Cass." Lily shook her head as well.

"Do y'thin-" Suddenly, Cassidy's words were interrupted by Dennis, sitting on the couch not far from him, as he began hacking uncontrollably. He was struggling to catch his breath as his face was turning from red to purple and his arm was covered in a spatter of blood from his coughing.

Cassidy was quick to his side as Lily handed him a glass of water from beside her. Tulip stood up and rushed to the bathroom, coming out with a small pile of hand towels as Cassidy consoled Dennis through the cough attack.

For the first time, Cassidy saw weakness in Dennis - his face had dropped and he looked up to Cassidy. When he spoke, Cassidy didn't have to speak French to notice his desperate tone. Cassidy opened his arms and cradled Dennis as he gasped for air.

"Wot's he sayin?" Cassidy asked Lily. She shook her head, "I didn't hear." Lily leaned closer to them, _"What did you just say, Denis?"_

" _My medicine._ " Dennis wheezed in Cassidy's arms. Lily felt her heart drop as a memory of Cassidy tossing the pharmacy bag on the side of the road earlier flashed through her mind.

"Wot's he sayin'!?" Cassidy asked again, looking up at Lily with dewy eyes behind his shades. "Uh," Lily said softly, "He's asking for his medicine." Cassidy's face dropped and his brows raised as he threw his head back, " _Shite_!" His brows were furrowed, "I'm such an eejit!" He cursed himself.

"It's okay." Lily consoled, "We'll get him his medicine." "That maniac's not gonna let us leave, Lily!" Cassidy yelled up at her, throwing an arm out towards the kitchen where the Saint guarded the front door, "N'Dennis needs it. _Damn_ it. _Fuck_ it all!" He panicked, looking down at Dennis as he laid back on him. Lily grabbed her phone from her jacket, rapidly searching the internet as she paced around the living room.

Tulip sat across from the couch Cassidy sat at with Dennis. She stood up, looking up at Lily, "Anything I can do?" She asked softly, looking past Lily to Cassidy who apologized in frantic anger to Dennis in his arms.

Searching on her phone quickly, Lily didn't glance away from it, "Ya," She admitted, "Call all the pharmacies around. See if you can convince someone to prescribe over the phone and get it here. I have cash."

She ran towards the kitchen where the Saint sat, skidding to a stop in her momentum as she inched slowly towards the fridge, snagging an old prescription receipt before backing away into the living room again.

The two of them called every pharmacy in the New Orleans area - a couple of them hanging up in their ears - others threatening to call the police on them. Lily groaned, pulling the phone from her ear to her face and calling another pharmacy.

 **30 MINUTES LEFT**

Dennis was laying back on Cassidy's lap, and he looked and sounded severely worse each second. Lily tapped her foot, raising the phone to her ear again, finally getting someone willing to help her out for a price. "Thank you!" She said in the phone, "Ok, ok." She held the old prescription receipt up to her eye level, "Fluticasone... inhaler, yes. Bude..sonide? Budesonide... powder or liquid? Uh..." Lily turned to Dennis and Cassidy, leaning down towards Dennis, " _Denis. Is your budesonide usually come in power or liquid_?" She asked softly. He wheezed, " _Liquid_." Lily stood up straight again, pacing back and forth, "Liquid." She said, "Yea... mhm... mhm... alright."

She gave the mystery person on the other side of the phone the address and slid the phone into her pocket. "You found someone?" Tulip asked in relief. Lily nodded, "They said 20 minutes max." Lily said out loud first before turning back towards Dennis, " _20 minutes, Denis_." His eyes were closed as he winced - clearly in pain just from breathing.

"He won't need that medicine if Jesse doesn't make it back." Tulip groaned. Lily rolled her eyes at her before turning to Cassidy, "His usual medicine is coming - an inhaler and a bottle of liquid." Lily explained quietly to Cassidy, "The person I just talked to recommended this stuff called prednisolone - an emergency treatment. She said it needs to be injected if his condition gets any worse than it is now." Cassidy blinked up at her, moving his eyes back down to Dennis who laid on him, helpless and in awful shape.

Lily breathed in, "I'm trusting you're familiar with syringes - finding the vein, all that?" Cassidy nodded, a feeble chuckle leaving him, "Yea." He said. Lily nodded, "Well I'm leaving that to you, cause I don't do well with needles, let alone poking and prodding someone with one." She shivered. Tulip's phone rang, it was Jesse - asking for advice to make shift an explosive.

Tulip put him on speaker while her and Lily tried their best not to talk over each other while they gave their half-composed half-frantic brain storming to him.

"Now what?" Jesse asked through the phone.

"Get back." Tulip said. Both her and Lily stared at the phone in Tulip's hand, hearing the explosion and waiting to hear Jesse's reaction. In the background, sounds of car alarms and sirens echoed. "I'll call you back." Jesse said - obviously deflated.

As the call dropped, Lily and Tulip stared at each other - knowing that whatever he was trying to do didn't work. Lily's shoulders dropped as she stood up from crouching in front of Tulip, who sat on an arm chair as she leaned against her knees. Their eyes mirrored the same worried look before Lily's phone rang.

"Hello? Yes. One second-" Lily looked to Cassidy, walking towards the kitchen with her phone in her ear, "Dennis's medicine is here!" She said, Cassidy looking more relieved in an instant as he consoled Dennis in his arms.

She turned the corner to see the Saint still sitting on the chair in the middle of the kitchen. Freezing in place she reached towards the front door, "I just need to get medicine for-"

Just being in his presence was horrifying, "No one in. No one out." The Saint growled. With a short exhale, Lily stepped backward towards the living room, her phone in her ear, "If you wait outside for another 10 minutes I'll double the pay." She compromised, while the man on the other line argued, and Lily snapped, "I'll pay you a thousand fucking dollars to just fucking wait!" She yelled uncontrollably.

With a deep breath she moved her phone from her ear, passing a glance to Dennis and Cassidy before she began pacing, staring at her phone as she brain stormed what they'd do if Jesse didn't make it.

"Ten minutes." Lily said aloud staring at the clock before she looked at Dennis, " _Ten more minutes, Denis, alright? Your medicine is waiting outside_."

He hacked, nodding feebly. Lily straightened her mouth, turning back around and her attention on her phone again as she began to come up with a plan B if Jesse _didn't_ make it in time. "Just wait!" Lily argued with the pharmacist on the other line who argued back, "I'm risking my job - my license - for you, lady! And you're no where to be seen! Is this some trap?"

Lily groaned as she began walking towards the window and looking down, noticing a fire escape stair case. "How are you with heights?" She asked, insinuating the pharmacist sneak up to her through the side of the building.

Behind her, Tulip stared at Cassidy cradling Dennis. Tulip's eyes showed her hurt for him as Cassidy's eyes caught them staring.

Knowing that all of this pain and suffering could end just if they could get their hands on his medicine just mere feet away suddenly made Tulip's patience break.

Unbelievably, Tulip shook her head, looking at Lily, who's back was to them as she stared out the window. Tulip looked at how helpless all of them were - Cassidy cradling Dennis completely powerless, and Lily practically ripping her hair out trying to brainstorm a way to smuggle basic medicine into the apartment while she hung out the window.

They held no control - which wasn't usual. It was like some parallel universe. Her blood began to boil the more she realized what position they were in - that Jesse had left them in.

Without any restraint left in her, Tulip snapped, jumping to her feet and storming into the kitchen to face the Saint. Cassidy looked up, raising his brow as he yelled after her, "Tulip!" He couldn't get up without discomforting Dennis. "Hey!" He turned his head behind him to Lily as she leaned out the window, the phone in one of her ears.

"Hey!" Cassidy repeated louder, "Lily!" She waved a hand at him, trying to concentrate on her phone conversation. Glancing back at the kitchen, Cassidy worried for Tulip. "Lily!" Cassidy yelled loudly. She pulled herself into the apartment again, "What!?" She asked short tempered with her phone up to her ear, "Tulip-" He pointed towards the kitchen.

With her brows dropping, she hustled towards the kitchen, startled by Tulip who was thrown towards her as she approached the doorway. "Tulip!" She gasped, grabbing onto her as she looked up to the Saint who stood facing them. Lily breathed in, her blood cold as she stared at the Saint in the eyes, struggling to find it in her to pace backwards until he was out of sight.

Lily pulled them back, sitting on the floor in the middle of the living room and looking at Tulip who's face was blank and entirely expressionless, "Tulip-" She repeated softer, "Are you alright?" She blinked at the ground, looking up to Lily with an absence in her eyes, "What happened?" Lily asked.

Swallowing, and with her entirety to her core shaken, Tulip raised her grave eyes to Lily, "He.. touched me."


	59. Desperation

**5 MINUTES LEFT**

Lily couldn't stop from pacing around the living room. There was mere minutes left and their situation had only gotten so much worse. Tulip was practically unresponsive, sitting on the sofa furthest from the kitchen, and Cassidy had been in distress over Denis, who struggled to even breathe, in his arms.

She had tried to stay calm, but everything was falling apart.

Suddenly, there was something in the air that made all of their blood run cold. The Saint approached the doorway of the living room.

"Time's up." The Saint said. In an instant, he was beside Tulip, taking one hand and clenching onto her jacket, dragging her into the kitchen. "No!" Lily shrieked, rushing towards them. Cassidy slid Dennis off of him as careful as he could as he rushed for Lily who chased after The Saint, Tulip in his possession.

"No, no, no!" Cassidy yelled, "He'll be here!" Lily yelled over him, "I just talked to Jesse-" She bluffed, "He's just down the road-" The Saint threw Tulip against the ground as she skidded across the kitchen, her back slamming into the stove as she groaned.

Lily and Cassidy watched the Saint reach his hand to his large blade. In complete panic, Lily skidded in front of him, standing in front of Tulip as she begged him to stop - her eyes trying their best to see anything in his - but proving to be impossible.

As the Saint lifted the blade above him, Lily slid a foot back, Tulip grasping onto her leg as they watched Cassidy jump upwards, grabbing the blade with both hands. He wailed loudly as the blade began sliding through each of his fingers, holding it back as the Saint lifted him off the ground with it.

Using the chance Cassidy had given them, Lily grabbed Tulip, helping her up to her feet as they rushed towards the door.

There were only a couple of Cassidy's fingers left gripping onto the long blade - the rest of them dropped on the floor, blood spattering out of the stumps on Cassidy's hands as it splattered on the ground. Cassidy had held the Saint back long enough for Lily and Tulip to make a break for it.

As Lily whipped the door open, she was startled by the sight of her brother. "Jesse!" Lily gasped, grabbing onto him and pulling him into the apartment, "Do something!" "Stop!" Jesse bellowed at the Saint, who froze in spot at the sight of Jesse as Cassidy fell onto the ground, "I have what you need." Jesse stated. Lily stared at her brother - knowing something about him was way off. Even the tone of his voice was off.

"What is that?" Lily asked breathless, staring at the small vile he held out. Jesse didn't tear his eyes away from the Saint, "A soul." "A soul?" Lily repeated, studying it in awe.

"Give it to me." The Saint demanded. "Not here." Jesse countered sharply, "You want this-" He held up the vile, "You follow me. Leave them alone."

Tulip and Lily looked between Jesse and the Saint. Cassidy groaned in agony as his finger less hands spewed out blood like ten chickens with all their heads cut off.

Lowering the large sword to his side, the Saint snarled at Jesse, finally stepping slowly towards him.

Lily exchanged a glance with Jesse quick, a look of panic in her eyes and a hard stare in his. As the Saint followed Jesse, his eyes moved to Tulip, who couldn't help but stare back into his - unable to hide her pure distress, giving the Saint a feeling of satisfaction.

* * *

As soon as the Saint had walked pasted the doorway, Lily felt like she couldn't move fast enough to shut the door. The adrenaline in her surged through her body. Being so sure she was going to see the three of them get slaughtered to having Jesse whisk away the Saint was impossible to comprehend right away.

She gasped for air, lightheaded from the adrenaline as she looked at her side where Tulip stood - a dead look to her eye. Regaining her balance, Lily looked back at Cassidy laying on the kitchen ground, his sunglasses had fallen off his face.

Lily snagged a towel that hung on the oven door handle, rushing to Cassidy at the floor as she got on her knees, "Cassidy-" She looked down at his hands, unsure where to start. They spattered upwards - all over the place. She quickly placed the towel over top of them, doing her best to bundle them up.

Blood already began to soak through the material, and she knew she was going to need more than a dinky kitchen towel.

"I'll be fine." Cassidy winced, his voice clenched, "Last person y'need t'worry about. Dennis-" He exhaled, "He needs-" Lily nodded, "Yea, yea, yea." She said, staring at him for a moment, "OK." She slid another towel kitchen behind his head, leaving him with his hands bundled up in a towel on his chest as she jumped to her feet.

His blood already covered her - as she had kneeled on the ground, her ivory skirt got completely drenched, and as she got closer, the spatter from his hands had sprayed onto her

He watched her grab her phone and quickly dialing a number before she began barking at the man on the other side as she finally rushed out the front door to meet him.

Cassidy turned his head to his left, looking into the living room as seeing the sad sight of Dennis. "It's alright." Cassidy whispered, "You'll be fine. Yer gonna be fine." He said. With a deep breath his closed his eyes, moving his head forward again, pointing up to the ceiling as he breathed through the pain of his fingers being chopped off.

If he hadn't been suddenly so instinctively starving, he wouldn't have noticed Tulip was sitting just feet away from him at the kitchen table. He had smelt her. He sniffed and turned his head to his right against the ground, opening one eye as he winced, "Hey-" He groaned to Tulip, "You alright, love?" He asked. She didn't respond. In fact - she didn't even hear Cassidy. Her mind was consumed, as she zoned out on the kitchen table, still completely fazed.

She'd confronted the Saint so boldly and confidently, demanding he let them out to get Dennis is medicine. And just like that - he'd shattered her tough front and destroyed her.

With one touch he'd broken her completely.

Cassidy scrunched his brow at how absent she was - the sound of the front door opening catching his attention as he feebly raised his head to see Lily sprinting, her heels smacking against the floor as she bolted into the living room. Turning his head to his left, he saw her rush to Dennis, scrambling through the bag of meds she'd managed to get her hands on.

She looked at each of the bottles carefully, her eyes searching for something the doctor had called prednisolone - it was a shot, she'd said, but there was nothing that resembled what Lily expected to look like an Epipen - a preloaded shot, at least.

When she found the prednisolone, it was a small vile of liquid. Reading the label, it instructed to distribute the medicine into a joint - such as a knee.

She dropped her shoulders and swore, looking down at Dennis. "Fuck!" She swore. "Wot issit?" Cassidy asked from the kitchen floor, "The prednisolone - the emergency treatment -" She swallowed the lump in her throat, "It's suppose to be injected but it's just loose liquid in this little bottle and I have no needle-"

"Go into th'dresser in th'bedroom-" Cassidy said his eyes closed as he , "Carefully, _carefully"_ He repeated, "Open the second drawer on the left side-" He instructed, "Underneath all th'clothes there's a ton o'syringes. New ones. In packages."

Without questioning, she ran to the bedroom they'd made theirs, pulling the drawer out completely as she moved it to the bed, lifting the clothes to find a variety of bags and small plastic bins full of powders and substances, along with other no doubt drug paraphernalia, as she finally found tucked to the side, a small stack of individually packaged syringes.

"Find 'em?" Cassidy yelled. "Yea!" She yelled back, snagging one and rushed back to the living room. She stuck the needle through the foil block on the small bottle of fluid, doing her best to pretend to know what she was doing as she loaded the needle with the medicine. Exhaling, she moved the needle onto the coffee table at her side, smacking it down frustratingly.

She rushed to the kitchen, grabbing a knife before she went back to Dennis.

He was very lethargic, and she wasn't sure if he could tell she was there. It was hard to say whether he was even breathing. She took the knife and cut open his pants above the knee and exposed it.

Reaching for the needle, she grabbed it and quickly jabbed the tip into his knee - and thankfully, he reacted to it, wincing as he flinched at the discomfort. He wailed in desperation. She began slowly pushing the fluid into his joint and finally moved the needle out.

With a quick breath, she ripped off the cap of his inhaler from the bag of medicine she'd just got, holding it to his mouth as he struggled to take from it properly without hacking his lungs out.

After several attempts, his lungs finally seemed to open. They burned him very badly as he breathed. From the kitchen, Cassidy sighed with relief. " _You alright_?" She asked. He was too weak to argue or give the attitude he wanted. He nodded, taking his inhaler again, " _I'll give you some pain meds after you catch your breath."_ She assured him, passing him the inhaler, " _I just need to take care of Cassidy - then I'll rush you to the hospital._ " She assured.

With an exhale, she looked down on him as she stood up, turning to the kitchen again as she rushed back over to Cassidy, who was sitting on the floor, his back against the wall.

Lily rushed to the closet in the hallway, grabbing every bath towel that Dennis owned and throwing them onto the kitchen table, beside where Tulip sat before she walked back up to Cassidy.

She leaned down to him, his stray fingers scattered on the floor around them. His hands were balled up together in a completely blood-drenched kitchen towel at his chest - blood flowing down the sides of him from the mess that was barely bundled.

With a smile, he poked out one of his elbows and she linked her arm around his, heaving him up. "Thanks." He grunted, sitting at the kitchen table.

His blood was all over him, the kitchen floor and now Lily. She swallowed, unraveling the towel. When Cassidy's finger-less hands were exposed, it was like a confetti canon. Except instead of confetti it was blood. It sprayed all over her and the table beside them. "ACK!" She jerked back, squinting her eyes as she covered his hands again, "Tulip can you pass another towel?" Lily asked, using one of her arms to wipe the spatter from her face. "Tulip." She looked at her. Cassidy and Lily exchanged a curious glance before Lily let go of the blood drenched towel that covered Cassidy's hands and walked up to Tulip's side.

"Hey." She said softly at her side, leaning down slightly, "You alright?" Tulip didn't look at her, so Lily bent down, looking up to her. Finally, Tulip's eyes flickered to Lily's - but there was an aimlessness to her eyes, regardless of the fact Lily was spattered all over herself with blood. "You're not alright." Lily stated, grabbing her hands as she whispered to her sympathetically, "You want to have a shower?" Tulip shook her head, staring through Lily. "You want some water... something to eat?" This time Tulip didn't even shake her head.

Lily blinked, her mouth straightening as she worried for Tulip. "Come." She lifted her up, grabbing one of the folded towels that sat in front of Tulip on the table. With Tulip in one arm and the towel in the other, Lily walked past Cassidy, "One sec." She assured. He nodded.

Cassidy watched the two of them, arm in arm, head to Jesse and Tulip's bedroom. He heard Lily assuring her, getting her comfortable and letting her know she'd be back to check on her soon. "Try to close your eyes." Lily encouraged softly before making her way out to the kitchen again.

As she closed the bedroom door behind her, she left it open a crack. Taking a moment to think, wondering what she could possibly do for Tulip to help her obvious mental trauma. With a sharp breath, Lily turned walked back to the kitchen, rushing towards Cassidy to help his finger-less hand situation.

While pacing quickly towards the kitchen table, she stepped on one of Cassidy's loose fingers on the ground, the bottom of her boot sliding over it as she lost her balance. She yelped, waving her arms in the air as she caught herself on the counter, her heart racing.

She exhaled as Cassidy glanced from the floor up to her and couldn't help but cackle, "Y'alright?" He asked. With a huff, she closed her eyes, bringing her hand to her forehead as she couldn't refrain from laughing, "Yea." She swallowed.

Grabbing the fresh towel she quickly lifted the drenched one wrapped around Cassidy's hands and immediately replaced it with the fresh one. She sighed, sticking out a hip. "Now what?" Cassidy pressed his lips together, scrunching his nose as his eyes caught his sunglasses on the floor across the kitchen.

"Pass me my shades." He smiled.


	60. Selfish

Lily continued doing her best job to tend to Cassidy. His stumps that were just several minutes ago his fingers continued to gush out blood. She handed him another towel in a rush as she continued to looked for anything to wrap them up. He'd drenched through two full towels already.

She'd found a broom in the corner of the kitchen and began sweeping up Cassidy's fingers into a dustpan, dragging streaks of blood everywhere with the bristles of the broom.

"How much blood do you even have in you?" Lily asked. Cassidy looked at the pool on the floor, the spatter and blotches that covered her and himself and couldn't help but laugh, "A lot. Only bled t'dead a coupla a times. Takes a while."

Dropping a dust pan full of stray fingers into a plastic food container, Lily placed it on the kitchen table that Cassidy sat at, "Can you even sew on 10 fingers?!" Lily reveled, dropping the broom and dustpan down in the corner she'd found them and searching under the kitchen sink until she finally found the first aid kit Tulip had used on her a few days prior, snagging some tape and gauze.

Cassidy grunted, "No, no, no." He glanced up from his hands bundled into the towel towards his loose fingers sitting in front of him briefly, "Those are useless. I will jus grow some new ones right quick with the right amount of medicine." He smiled.

She was rushing up to him with the tape and guaze in hand when his words made her stiffen, " _Medicine_!" She remembered as she spun around - right on queue as there was a giant **_POP_** from the microwave, "Shit!" Lily said as she slammed the tape and gauze down on the table in front of Cassidy and rushed to the microwave, "Ah, shit! Fuck, shit, **shit**!" She shrieked, opening it to see the frozen blood bag she'd put in (and forgotten about) had heated up far too much and exploded all over.

Slamming the microwave door closed shut immediately, she stifled a gag at the horrendous smell of the nuked human gore.

"Hey-" Cassidy said, getting up from his seat. "No-" Lily said sharply, her back still to him as she held a hand out his way, "No. Sit." She demanded. He listened reluctantly, watching her grab another few blood bags from the freezer and throwing them into the sink, letting the hot water from the tap pour onto them. She walked beside him to the kitchen window, taking a breath and opening it, her face green from the near nausea due to the microwave/blood fiasco.

She turned to him and grabbed the towel he buried his hands in, opening it briefly to see the stumps still squirting as she pulled her head back and raised her brows, Cassidy couldn't help but chuckle, "It'll be fine once I get some medicine in me." He said, his eyes flickering to the sink. Lily nodded quick and turned back towards the sink, leaning over it as she picked up one blood bag, squishing the frosty liquid inside of it as she studied the crimson swishing around.

She wondered what her brother was getting himself into with the Saint. The look in Tulip's eyes. Inside, she felt very uneasy.

Turning the bag around as she continued swishing the last of the frozen chunks around, the label read "B POSITIVE". Standing up straight, she couldn't help but let out a laugh of disbelief. As if the universe was sending her some sick joke of a message.

"What?" Cassidy asked at her cackle. She shook her head, staring down at the sink, "Nothing." She said. With a shallow breath in, she grabbed some scissors from a knife block, pouring the blood into a tall glass, the thick liquid coating the side of the cup as it filled to the top. She tossed the empty blood bag into the sink, walking up to Cassidy as she quickly realized there wasn't any way for him to drink it himself with his hands wrapped in the towel.

Without second guessing, she held it up to his mouth as he began chugging it. He'd finished about half when he opened his eyes, pulling away slightly as he breathed in. She placed the glass down on the table, "Sorry it's so cold." She said. He licked his lips with a deep breath, his voice clenched, "That's alright. Better than nothin'. And it's not like you didn't try." He teased, looking towards the microwave.

Lily glared sideways, sticking a hip out as she moved back to the sink, moving around the other two blood bags as the tap continued to stream down on them, "Give me a break. How am I suppose to know how you like your blood prepared?" She stated flatly, talking into the sink.

"Fresh is the best. Baby blood, preferably." Cassidy teased morbidly. Lily laughed softly through her nose at how even in the position he was in, he could still have his stupid sense of humor. She nodded at the blood bags in the sink, "I'll remember that for next time." Finally she walked back to the table, grabbing the cup and raising it up for him again. "Seriously." She said a bit quieter, watching him drink, "Until you started talking about that stuff earlier today with Eccarius.. I didn't think about any of it." She said, watching the thick wave of the blood in the cup get smaller and smaller, "Do you heat it up?" She asked curiously, studying it, "Or do you shake it on ice?"

When he finished the last of it, his neck cranked back, he exhaled, a trail of it falling from his lips as saliva pooled more in his mouth. He moaned, clearing his throat as his tone had a dark streak to it, "Warmer is better. Like it is when it's fresh." With a sudden chill down her spine that Cassidy must've noticed, he blinked up at her, his tone noticeably lighter, "If I'm bein' picky n'have th'time, that'is." He added. Lily nodded, turned and walked towards the sink, grabbing the other bags, "Just made me realize how little I know about you is all." She stated, cutting the bags and throwing the icy blood into a pot before cranking an element up on the stove.

Clearing her throat, she walked back up to him, leaning against the table at his side, "How many do you think you need?" She asked. Cassidy moved his head side to side, "Prolly tree." He said. Lily nodded, "Okay." She looked forward at the stove, "I'm going to check on Tulip."

It was the dozenth time in fifteen minutes Lily had opened the bedroom door to check on Tulip, rubbing her forehead softly - before walking back out to the kitchen, a tinge of a metallic smell to the air. Lily opened the living room window in efforts to get some airflow going, Dennis was sitting on the arm chair, looking a bit more miserable than usual. " _Are you doing any better_?" Lily asked softly, to which he waved his hand at her, " _Fine_." He said shortly, puffing at his inhaler, " _No thanks to that asshole_."

Lily's mouth went flat and she nodded once, " _We'll get to the hospital soon._ "

Dennis shook his head, " _I have someone who can come here. Already called him. He's on his way._ " He stated. He didn't look at Lily as he spoke. He closed his eyes and laid back again.

As she looked away from Dennis back towards the kitchen she caught Cassidy staring. Walking towards him, she glanced at the stove, steam starting to lift off the blood inside of the pot as she peaked into it. "Wot'd he say?" Cassidy asked curiously. Lily turned off the stove, grabbing the pot and another cup, moving to the table.

She poured the hot blood into the cup, "He's doing fine he said." Lily explained, concentrating on not spilling any blood, "Said he has a doctor who can come here to him. He already called him and he's on his way.." She said, glancing around the kitchen, "So I guess I should clean a little faster, then." Cassidy nodded slowly, his face long.

Her eyes flickered up to him quickly, the cup filled to nearly the top as she put the pot down on the table, a trail of it dripping down the side she had poured from onto the table.

With nothing else to say between them, she inhaled, lifting the hot cup to his mouth. He hummed as it touched his lips, his brows raising as he quickly devoured it, her hand following him as he tilted his head up more, a small trail of red fluid flowing out from each corner of his mouth. Cassidy finished it off with yet another deep exhale, "That was much better." He said thankfully.

"Great." Lily huffed quietly, pouring another cup in front of him. "Tulip alright?" He asked. With a soft smile and her eyes on the cup she nodded, "I don't know. She's sleeping now." "Wonder what Jess is into right now." Cassidy whispered. With a shrug of one of her shoulders, Lily raised her brow, straightening her lips as she raised the cup to his mouth again, "Me too." She whispered back.

Finishing his third full cup, Cassidy already felt much better - feeling the blood flooding out of his hands subside drastically. Removing his hands from the towel, they dripped slowly rather than squirting like fountains.

Lily sat beside him as they took up one corner of the kitchen table, starting with one of his hands as she wrapped his finger-less stumps up one by one.

"I'm awful." Cassidy said out of nowhere, to which Lily looked up at him quickly, still working on taping up the gauze around his hands, " _Cass-i-dy_.." She dragged out sympathetically as she tilted her head with an unimpressed look on her face.

"No. I am." Cassidy said, "Lily. I _dropped_ 'im.. 'is medcine, at least, on th'ground. An'he almost died 'cos of it! And fer wot? Jus' t'find that fokin' wanker vamp Eccarius." He laughed pitifully through his nose, "Selfish, t'say th'least." He added, shaking his head, "I'm a terrible person n'an even worse Da." He groveled.

Breathing deep in and out as she stared intently at his hand she was working on covering up, Lily taped the loose end tightly before looking up at him, smacking the scissors in her one hand down on the table, "I can't say anything about what kind of father you've been - but what you did today for Tulip? For me?-" Her words cut off as she stared at the bloody mess around them, his fingers sitting in the plastic container on the table in front of them, "That's anything but selfish, Cassidy." She stated.

And if his bottom half of his face and entirety of his mouth wasn't coated in human blood she would've kissed him.


	61. Blood and Whiskey

"More?" Lily asked, lifting the empty pot that she'd heated the blood in, walking towards the stove. Cassidy sighed from the kitchen table, his finger-less hands all bandaged up and no longer bleeding a frightful amount thanks to Lily, "If y'don't mind I'll switch over to the other kind'o medicine."

She flashed her eyes towards him before moving them to the counter top beside the fridge - a line of whiskey bottles formed. Placing the pot down in the sink, she nodded with a smile, grabbing a couple bottles and a pack of cigarettes beside them before sitting back down at his side.

Lily opened the first bottle, already half empty as the partial-cork cap made a deep and hollow pop sound before she slid it to him. Cassidy used his bandaged hands as best he could and made it work as he drank from the bottle. With a sigh of relief at the sight, Lily turned towards the kitchen garbage can, overflowing with bloodstained bath towels, kitchen towels and paper towel.

Staring at the remaining blood bag in the sink, she turned to him, "So you don't need this last bag then?" Lily asked, lifting it from the sink before she began washing her hands.

"No." He took another swig from the bottle, using one of his wrapped up hands to push his sunglasses up from sliding down his nose, "If I drank any more it'd jus' be gluttonous. Stupide. Jus' like that wanker, Eccarius." Cassidy scoffed, recalling how he'd offered them goblets of blood without (in Cassidy's opinion) having any reason. And the fact he'd given some to Lily knowing she was human was an even more disturbing action that Cassidy had made sure to remember.

Lily flicked her wet hands in the sink before grabbing what was probably the last standing kitchen towel to dry her hands while she walked to the fridge, putting the extra blood bag back in the freezer.

Her eyes caught the beautiful sight of a bottle of red wine on the counter. She grabbed a glass and some ice cubes and walked back to Cassidy, "Yep. He was a real wanker, whatever that means. It sounds like what he was."

Cassidy couldn't help but laugh, "It means he's jus' a big waste o'space. An eejit. A gobshite." "Alright," Lily interrupted, placing the ice cubes in the glass and pouring the wine over them, "I get it." She smiled.

The ice cubes cracked in the glass as she placed the bottle down on the table. Her eyes stayed on the liquid in her glass, "Do you think we'll see him again?" She asked. Cassidy's brow scrunched immediately, "Eccarius?" He laughed, "Hopefully not." Lily's mouth straightened, thankful that he didn't seem eager, since the guy had given Lily the hard creeps, but she justified anyway, "I just thought being the only other vampire you've seen and all-" "He's _not_ the only one I've ever seen." Cassidy retorted.

Lily tilted her head to him, "You told him you'd never crossed paths with another vampire." She said lowly. Cassidy leaned closer to her, "On this side of the world, Lily." He hissed quietly. Lily blinked at him, shaking her head, "What's that suppose to mean?"

"It's suppose to mean he's th'first vamp I've seen in my near century over on _this_ side o'the pond, so it's _nothin'_ t'worry about happenin' again any time soon, alright?" He took a swig from the bottle, leaning back in the chair again, "Besides. If I need t'talk t'im fer any damn reason, God, the bastard, forbid - I _know_ where he'll be - sleepin' in 'is _crypt_. Ha!" Cassidy cackled, "We 'ave no reason t'worry about 'im. Arsehole's too busy roleplayin' n'bein' afraid of leavin' 'is dungeon."

Lily nodded, studying Cassidy as he drank from his bottle again. She took a sharp breath in, "His eyes are so bright." Lily said. Cassidy lowered the bottle from his mouth and placed it on the table, not saying anything as she continued, "And yours are so-" "Deformed?" He interrupted, "Grisly?"

She scrunched her brow, "What?" Lily shook her head, "No. I wasn't going to say that." "Wot then?" Cassidy asked.

Lily blinked, a slight smirk to her mouth as she held her breath and decided to choose her words much more carefully since this was obviously a tender spot for him, "His eyes-" She said cautiously, remembering how intense and piercing they were, "They're bright, _bright_ red. And so clear they were almost translucent. Yours aren't like his. They're frosted over and silver." She scrunched her brow, "I'm just saying - they're opposite. Why is that?" She tilted her head curiously.

Cassidy's shoulders shrugged, "I dunno." He said, drinking from his bottle again. "Hm." Lily said simply. "Wot a weird question." Cassidy stated with a chuckle against the opening of the bottle in his mouth. Lily sighed, leaning her head on her hand, clawing into her scalp and pulling her hair back as she did, "Just one out of a million I now have after today."

With a chuckle, Cassidy pointed his head at her glass, "I got a question." He said, thankful to lighten the air a bit with a topic less to do about himself, "Wot's wit th'ice cubes?" Cassidy asked. Lily shook her head as she inhaled, "I like my red wine cold - what's it to you?" She asked, bringing the glass up to her lips as she spoke into it, "I'm not telling you which way to drink your blood and whiskey."

"True." Cassidy stated with a grin, drinking from the bottle again.

Lily swallowed the large amount of wine she'd taken in her mouth, "Would it kill you to use a glass once in a while?" She asked critically. Cassidy sighed through his lips as they flapped mockingly, "Jus' an extra step that's completely unnecessary." "Not really-" Lily began.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door that interrupted their meaningless banter. In a rush, Lily nearly dumped her glass of wine over as she jumped towards the pile of soiled, blood soaked towels and paper. She pushed all the blood stained cloths and rags into any cupboard she could find, along with the overflowing garbage. "Who's that?" Cassidy asked defensively as he stood up.

"Dennis' doctor, I'm assuming!" Lily whispered back in a panic as she finished tidying the last of the gruesome evidence that looked as if a large animal had bled out in the kitchen.

She opened the door, greeting the doctor and letting him in. He was introducing himself as her eyes caught the plastic container full of Cassidy's loose fingers on the counter behind him. Swiftly, she walked around him, turning so her back was against the counter where the fingers sat. "Just down the hall." Lily directed, "I'll be there in a moment."

Lily caught Cassidy smirking while her eyes moved towards the doctor, following him until he turned down the hallway. As soon as he was out of sight, Lily grabbed the container of fingers as they rolled around inside of it. She opened up a cupboard and threw it in there for the time being.

* * *

With his hands in his jacket pockets to cover the bandages, Cassidy listened to the doctor speaking French to Dennis as Lily listened intently. She saw Cassidy looking at her to read what was being said, and Lily's face made it pretty apparent the news wasn't good.

The doctor was going on for a while about the new set of medications and supplements prescribed to Dennis, ensuring that Lily understood he needed constant monitoring. His condition had worsened drastically in the mere month since his last check up, and the doctors were clear it was their best interest to just keep him comfortable for the remaining days.

Lily conveyed the message to Cassidy without any sugar coating, noticing the dark cloud thicken above his head immediately. She rehearsed what the doctor had said about his medication, passing the responsibility to Cassidy. Dennis was having difficulty with the cold shoulder front he'd put on the past several days - needing any sort of help he could get at this point. He was desperate, and Cassidy was more than glad to be at his aid.

Lily left Cassidy with Dennis while she checked on Tulip, who was laying in bed, her eyes open as she stared up at the ceiling. Walking in slowly, Lily turned the bedside lamp on as the sun was setting and it was beginning to get dark inside the room. "Hey." She said softly, sitting at her side on the bed, "How you doing?"

"Can't sleep." She said, "You hear from Jesse?" Tulip exhaled deeply.

Lily shook her head, "No." She tried to not sound as worried as she was, but of course Tulip saw right through that. "I'll go get you some water." Lily said, "Are you hungry?"

"No." Tulip said simply. Lily nodded, "Okay." She paused, "Be right back."

Lily walked into the kitchen, deciding to heat up some soup for Tulip just in case. The microwave wasn't an option - since an entire blood bag had exploded in it. Sh wasn't positive it was even worth cleaning, but she sure as Hell wasn't about to open the microwave door to find out. Lily grabbed the microwave, unplugging it and throwing it into the hallway outside.

Lily grabbed another pot and threw the soup into it until it was just hot enough. "Did I really have to pick tomato?" She groaned to herself, noting the disturbing resemblance to the blood she'd just done the same to. After pouring it into a bowl, she walked to the sink, running the water and grabbing a glass while she placed the soup pot in the sink, right next to the blood pot she'd used earlier.

The tap of water was running as her eyes zoned out on the blood stained pot in the sink before finally dragging it under the running water to rinse it off.

She watched the water pooling in the pot go from dark maroon to clear and suddenly, Cassidy's voice pulled her out of her trance. "How's Tulip?"

Lily perked up, turning towards him standing behind her. "Sorry." He said, obviously noticing he'd startled her. Clearing her throat, Lily shook her head, grabbing the glass she'd been holding in her hand and filling it with water for Tulip. "Not good." She said honestly, staring into the sink, "Going to try and get her to eat."

Cassidy nodded, noticing her mind racing just by looking at her eyes.

He read her face, "Y'worried about yer brother?" He asked. Lily's mouth went crooked and she bobbed her head from side to side before looking up at him, "I'm really beginning to wonder." Lily admitted, glancing at the clock and noting how many hours Jesse had been gone with the Saint.

Cassidy placed his bandaged, finger-less hand on her, "Hey," He sang, "He'll be back." He said with certainty.

She nodded, his positivity actually making a bit of a difference considering how awful she was feeling. Taking a sharp breath in she looked up at him, "How's Dennis?" She asked in efforts to stop her mind from thinking what terrible things that could be happening to Jesse at this very moment.

"Between not havin' any fingers n'not havin' any clue wot he's sayin' I don't think he's too happy t'be havin' me help." Cassidy groveled, his face long.

"I can help with one of those issues." Lily stated, turning the water off and putting the glass of water down beside the soup she'd heated up, "Give me your phone." He reached both hands into his front pockets, and like a light switch Lily saw a sudden malicious streak in Cassidy's eyes, "I'd love to." He said innocently, pulling his hands out of his pockets, "But I'm havin' a hard time." He held his wrapped up hands to her.

She lowered her eyes as her brows narrowed, staring at him in an unamused manner as she didn't step any closer to him, but instead just reached forward and slipped her hands into his front pockets. Within a second, he'd pulled her into him, her hands stuck in his front of his pants and his arms around her.

With a groan of frustration, Lily glared up at him while he grinned down at her, "Must be in my back pocket." Cassidy admitted, his arms wrapped tight around her.

Lily raised her brows at him, "Ah." She said, still not amused, which only entertained Cassidy more. There was a pause, and Cassidy wondered how much longer either of them could hold out from kissing the other, "Well," Lily finally said, "Maybe if you let me _go_ , I can get that for you and help you out with the translation issue."

"Here I was thinkin' y'were gonna help with th'finger-less issue." He said with his eyebrows furrowing in disappointment.

She turned her head and scrunched her brow, not following, "By how, sewing your fingers back on? I mean, I kept them-" "Sex helps th'healin' process." Cassidy said simply.

"Ha!" Lily laughed in his face, leaning back as his arm's gripping around her didn't loosen."I'm serious." He whined, "Yer not thinkin' about the _mental_ damage that whole ordeal caused me. It's a proven fact th'body only heals as healthy as th'mind is n'right now I'm pretty traumatized."

She laughed a little harder, her eyes flickering down at her hands stuck in his pants, " _You're_ traumatized?" Lily teased. They stared at each other a moment. She felt her cheeks get hot and she didn't have to have her gift of intuition she had to know Cassidy was about to give into the painful tension.

And Lily, of course, was right. The painful tension _did_ come to an end, but it wasn't because of Cassidy.

All of a sudden, the front door opened and their heads turned towards it.

Lily would've been a _lot_ more relieved to see her brother standing in the doorway of the apartment if she didn't have her hands down Cassidy's pants.


	62. Last of It

Lily yanked her hands out of Cassidy's front pockets so quickly, she almost broke both her arms and a couple of nails.

Luckily, Jesse's brain was a bit too busy to notice anything off with the situation he'd walked into. As he focused on his sister, she noticed she was standing in front of Cassidy on the other side of the kitchen. She looked caught off guard.

"You look flustered," Jesse pointed out quietly, "What happened, weren't expecting me to come back?" He teased halfheartedly.

Lily huffed and shook her head, pacing towards her brother quickly, "Cassidy lost his fingers, bled everywhere, Dennis nearly died, Tulip has hardly said two words in the past three hours and _you_ were off by yourself with a demon from Hell-" She practically jumped at him and wrapped her arms around him as he did the same, "So _yea_ ," Lily continued, "Excuse me if I'm a bit fucking flustered." She stated, thankful his busy mind hadn't seen anything perverse.

There was a moment as she sighed, not moving from their hug, "You alright?" She asked quietly, her voice muffled as her face buried into his shoulder. "Yea." He said, pulling out of their embrace, and looking down at her. Her hands stayed gripped to his shoulders as she searched his eyes. She noticed an empty streak to them - similar of the one that Tulip had in her eyes.

"The Saint-" "He's gone." Jesse said, cutting her off. Lily raised her brow at him softly, and she didn't have to talk for him to know she was asking for affirmation. "For sure." He assured. Studying his eyes, she nodded, pulling her arms off of him and crossing them.

"A soul?" Lily asked. "M-hm." Jesse said simply, his eyes zoning out a bit past her. Lily shook her head, "How'd you get that?" "I used some resources." Jesse said a little short. With such a vague answer, Lily would normally have full intentions to pound the questions on him, but instead, she nodded simply, knowing how drained he was and giving him the benefit not to argue - for now.

"You guys OK?" Jesse asked. With her eyes flickering around the kitchen, Lily nodded, "Thanks to Cassidy, yea." She looked at Jesse, "If it wasn't for him Tulip and I would've been sliced in half." Jesse's eyes lifted to Cassidy standing not far away, "Thanks, Cass." He said. Cassidy nodded, pressing his lips together, "No need." He said simply. Cassidy smiled, first to Jesse, then to Lily.

Lily's eyes only moved from Cassidy's back to Jesse's when he began talking again, "You said Tulip hasn't been talking?" Jesse asked. Lily shook her head, "Hasn't said more than a few words or gotten out of bed since you've left." She said quietly. "I'm going to go see her." Jesse said. Lily and Cassidy nodded.

With an exhale, Lily walked back up to Cassidy, reaching into his back pocket and grabbing his phone out. Within a few seconds she held it back up to his face, pressing a button and speaking French as the phone translated it, speaking aloud in a robotic, monotone voice:

" _Here you go, you asshole_."

Cassidy chuckled, "Cool."

"There are better ways but that's better than nothing." She stated, "Goes back and forth - it'll work English to French as well." Cassidy nodded, "Thank you." Lily flashed her eyes at him, and she might've just taken the risk of kissing him then and there even with her brother around had she known how little of him she would see in the next few days.

* * *

The next three days consisted of what felt like a broken record of a routine. Cassidy was dedicated to staying at Dennis' side, while Tulip was without a doubt completely unbalanced. She was being very quiet, reserved and moody. Making it impossible to read her. Sometimes Tulip would join Jesse and Lily, other times she'd disappear off on her own. Jesse was convinced she was just pissed about the lounge singer that was brought up in conversation, but Lily was convinced otherwise.

Each night Lily and Jesse got back to Dennis' apartment, Tulip was nowhere to be seen and Cassidy was closed into Dennis' room with him. The first two nights, Lily hadn't even seen Cassidy - only the glass of blood tainted water he'd left for her on the nightstand of the bed they'd been sleeping in.

The first night, there'd been a note with the glass:

 _Please don't go anywhere alone._

Tonight, it was no different. There was no Cassidy, and only a note with the same request. The glass greeted her as she walked into the bedroom. She got into comfortables and slipped her headphones in, her music drowning out the sounds of Dennis' hacking on the other side of the wall through the night.

It had been two full days since she'd even seen Cassidy had she'd been true to his request. She'd only been out with her brother and the odd occasion Tulip who'd joined them. As she laid in bed, her eyes searched the room before she got out of bed and walked up to the window, opening it and sticking her head out. She was hoping to catch a glimpse of Cassidy having a smoke outside on the small deck area, but it proved no such luck. She pulled herself back into the room, leaving the window open as she crawled back into bed.

Lily laid in bed wide awake - and finally, she brought her phone to her face in the dark room and typed out a text to Cassidy:

 **Window's open.**

She stared at it, finally shaking some sense into herself and deleting it before she could send it - realizing not only how insensitive it was to booty call someone while they're at their son's deathbed, but more importantly how incredibly desperate it was.

* * *

When she woke up the next day, Jesse was nowhere to be found. He wasn't answering her calls and neither was Tulip. She was beginning to feel claustrophobic in the apartment, detached from Tulip, Cassidy _and_ her brother. She wanted to go out, but she'd remembered Cassidy's note - feeling oddly obligated to follow his request, regardless of her early, onset cabin fever.

She spent the day what seemed to be to herself, since Cassidy never left the room Dennis was in. There wasn't any part of her that wanted to intervene and invite herself into the room, so instead, she waited for him to come out - but he never did. It was early evening when Jesse walked through the front door, Lily was making dinner in the kitchen. "Hello!?" She said in an unimpressed tone, her brows raised as she wiped her hands on a tea towel. "Hey." Jesse said shortly, rushing to the bedroom him and Tulip had claimed to be there's during their stay.

Lily followed his trail, "I've been calling you _all_ day. Where've you been?" She asked, "Where's Tulip?" "Left my phone here by accident, and I don't know." Jesse said, snatching his phone off the bedside table and rummaging through one of his bags as he grabbed a small hand gun, "I figured she was here or out with you-" His attention changed, "You don't have a .380 or somethin' along those lines lying around do you?" He asked with no worry of Tulip's whereabouts.

Lily took a second before speaking, "I haven't seen her in almost two days now." She said, "Has she come home to you the past couple nights?"

"No." Jesse said nonchalantly, his eyes scanning the area with his hands on his hips, "She hasn't, actually-" He moved his head back to her, raising his brow, "So _do_ you or not?"

With her arms crossed as she leaned against the wall, Lily waved her head with a smirk at how entirely distracted he was, "Uhh.. I got a .40 pistol?.." "That'll do." He said, throwing his gun on the bed and walking towards her.

She raised her brows, "Alright.." She spun around slowly, her arms still crossed, walking towards the bedroom just down the hall. "You going to give me any context here?" Lily asked. "I will. Later. I promise. I just gotta go right now." He insisted. She nodded, lifting her eyebrows as she grabbed a pistol out of one of her bags underneath the creaky old bed frame and handed it to him.

"The _one_ day I don't go out with you and you need my gun." Lily stated, "Genesis isn't cutting it anymore?" She asked, following him as he rushed towards the doorway of the bedroom again, "Doesn't work on inanimate objects." He explained. Lily raised her head and nodded slowly, "Ah." She said, "Hey," She grabbed him as he stepped out to the hallway, "What?" He asked impatiently.

"Tulip won't return my calls. And Dennis' health is much worse. He doesn't have long, and Cassidy has been spending every second the past few days just closed in taking care of him. All three of you are tied up in something and I'm just sitting here wasting time. We were all just working so well together, it felt like we were getting somewhere but now, it's like we've all veered off separately."

"Y-" Jesse started before he held his words and breath. He looked into Lily's eyes a moment before he exhaled, "Lily. I just need to finish this and I'll bring you up to speed and we'll _all_ be back on the same page. I promise."

She stared up at her brother with soft eyes, trying to believe him. Suddenly, the door beside them opened, Dennis' room. Lily and Jesse both looked to see Cassidy open the door wide, revealing Dennis laying back in his bed, looking worse by the second.

"Hey." Cassidy's hoarse voice said, no doubt hearing every word they'd just exchanged. Lily would be lying to herself that even regardless of how awful Cassidy looked and sounded, she was still relieved to see he still existed.

"Cass, I'm just-" Jesse pointed a thumb over his shoulder. Cassidy nodded, "In a hurry. Ya," He finished for Jesse, "I know. I'-" Cassidy held his words a moment, and Lily saw the desperation in his eyes behind his shades as he looked to Jesse, "D'ya think y'could try n'help Dennis?"

There was a pause and Jesse exhaled shortly, "Help.. how, Cassidy?" Jesse asked. Cassidy shrugged, "I dunno." He inhaled, "Genesis 'ought t'ave _some_ way t'help, don't y'think?" Jesse looked at Dennis, his eyes moving back to Cassidy as he sighed, "That's not the way it works, Cass." He said quietly, "I don't think that's what it's for." Jesse said.

Lily's eyes moved from her brothers to Cassidy - who was no doubt greatly disappointed. His lips pressed into a line and he nodded once, "Alright." He said shortly. As Cassidy began closing the door, Lily wanted to stop him, but Jesse interrupted her attention, "I gotta go." He said.

She followed him down the hallway and watched him rush to the front door. He turned quickly, catching her blank eyes, "Thanks." He said shortly, shutting the front door on his way out.

"No problem." Lily groaned to herself, staring at the vegetables burning in the pan on the stove.

* * *

Lily had decided she'd break Cassidy's request and head down the road to the store to stock up on basic medical supplies. She'd seen how awful he looked and watched his heart shatter at Jesse's lack of effort to help Dennis. She wanted to make sure Cassidy wasn't falling too far down a hole of misery.

When she opened the door to Dennis' room, she saw Cassidy sitting in the corner, in an armchair. He raised his chin at her as she noticed Dennis sleeping on the bed as she quietly made her way towards him with the bags in her hands. "Ran to the store quick," She whispered, placing the bags of disposable cloths, meds, painkillers, sleep aids, and many sanitary products. "Just little things." She said. "Thank you." Cassidy rasped softly. She stood beside him and leaned on the arm rest.

He leaned back in the chair, looking up at her, There was a few seconds between them before Lily inhaled sharply, "My brother's an asshole." She stated simply.

Cassidy nodded, not needing to say how hurt he was at Jesse's lack of effort to help Dennis earlier.

His eyes moved down to the bags Lily had brought in, "I know Jess is still out." He moved his eyes back up to her, "Haven't heard Tulip." She knew where this was going, but he asked anyway, "Y'went out by yerself." He stated. She shook her head and inhaled, leaning a little closer to her, "Cassidy - you _saw_ Jesse earlier. He won't tell me what's going on. Tulip won't answer me. I was going to lose it if I didn't get out of this apartment." She defended softly. He just nodded softly.

Lily swallowed, "Has he been doing any better?" She asked. Cassidy shook his head, "He's been hackin' up an awful lot of blood." Cassidy whispered, "Must be keepin' everyone up, especially yew bein' on the other side of the wall." He flashed his eyes up at her.

Lily shook her head, "Not at all." She whispered back, "I've been sleeping with my music in my ears. Haven't heard a thing." Lily assured honestly. His elbow sat on the arm rest of the arm chair, his lips leaning in his fist, "Jus' doin' my best t'keep 'im comfortable." Cassidy whispered with his knuckles against his mouth.

Lily studied Dennis, who had an awful green and translucent image to his skin tone, not far from death's door. She was careful to speak as soft as possible, "He should be in hospice care, Cassidy." She said.

"N'wot?" Cassidy scoffed quietly, "Leave 'im somewhere 'es gonna soil 'imself n'ave t'lay in it fer hours on end while evr'ryone there ignores 'im as they tend t'all the other hundreds o'dyin' elderly?" He spat, shaking his head, "No." Lily didn't have anything to say - the look on Cassidy's face and the tone in his voice said it all.

Staring forward at Dennis, who's eyes were closed and breathing was choppy, he swallowed a lump in his throat, "I wasn't there fer any of 'is life. The least I could do is be th'one there fer 'im durin' the last of it."

* * *

Lily hadn't spent much time in the room with Cassidy and Dennis - she soon found herself falling asleep in the bed with no choice - with still no word from her brother or Tulip she felt practically useless to the world.

The music played in her ears and she didn't hear that there was a jiggle at her bedroom doorknob, followed by a soft knock. Her phone vibrated as she was about to pass out and she'd seen Cassidy had texted her asking if she was awake.

In a bit of a fluster, she sat up from bed, throwing her robe on and opening the door to see Cassidy. He was wearing the most insanely vibrant, clashing prints on his pants and shirt, "Wot's that look on yer face about?" He asked. It was small, but there was a playful spark in his words.

"Sorry." She said, her eyes scanning him head to toe, "Bit of a sensory overload." She admitted, stepping back from the doorway to let him in. She closed the door behind him. His hair was wet, so she'd assumed he'd just showered.

"The fact y'find my clothes a sensory _overload_ jus' shows how borin' yer past few days 'ave been." He stated. She glared at him, sitting back down on the bed, "Yea, we didn't get anywhere with the leads Jesse's been on, but now he's found his own _without_ me, apparently." She sighed bitterly. Cassidy's brow scrunched above his sunglasses frames, "Are Jess n'Tulip still not around?" He asked. Lily shook her head, "Nope." She said, "Why are you all dressed, anyway?" Lily asked.

"Goin' out fer a bit." Cassidy explained, watching Lily perk up, "Y'comin'?" He asked as if it wasn't a given.

Unable to control showing her excitement, Lily jumped to her feet, surprised at his suggestion to leave, "What about Dennis?" She asked. Cassidy shrugged, "'Es pretty doped up. Should sleep a few hours at least. We won't be out long, anyway."

"Where are we going?" She asked, changing into clothes rapidly.

The look on his face made as equally nervous as it did excited, and it made her even more anxious to see him grin, "Y'wanna experience a _real_ sensory overload?"


	63. Temptation

**BOURBON STREET**

They had been walking down the crowded, buzzing strip for a several minutes now and it never seemed to end.

Cassidy had been right - it _was_ a real sensory overload. It was hard to focus with all the sights and sounds. There was a different group playing music on every corner and strands of beads flew all over the place. Lily had seen more pairs of tits in the past hundred feet of walking than she had in her whole life. "I can see why you took us this way." She yelled to Cassidy over the noisy surroundings as she finished another drink.

Cassidy laughed, throwing another empty cup into the trash can, another full cup in his other hand, "Yew could get yerself a few pretty sets o'those beads wit _yer_ pretty set." He cackled. She scoffed with a smirk, rolling her eyes at his crudeness, "Not likely." She groaned, staring at another young girl lifting her shirt at a crowd of men howling at her as they walked past.

Cassidy handed Lily the full drink in his hand and skipped ahead of her a bit. She watched him snatch a few strands of beads off some nearby shrubbery, knowing his intentions right away, "Nooo." She said immediately, walking sideways to try and avoid him, "C'mon!" He growled loudly, jumping in front of her as he walked backwards, "Don't hide that gorgeous rack from the world-" He teased, knowing there was no way on this planet Lily was going to flash her tits to him with him being so vulgar about it, let alone in a crowded environment.

She rolled her eyes, drinking the last of her drink. " _C'mon_!" He prodded again, stepping right in front of her and slipping his hands at the bottom of her shirt as he began tugging it up. Her eyes went wide and Cassidy's disturbance caused her to spill her drink as she had it up to her lips, ice and cold liquid pouring down her shirt as she let out a squeal of discomfort.

As he created a spectacle for a few people to stare at, her cheeks went pink with both frustration and embarrassment, yet she couldn't refrain from smiling, "Cassidy!" She hissed, pushing on his hands trying to lift her top, "Stop it!" She tried to sound stern through her bared teeth, but her grin made it obvious she was bothered in the right way Cassidy had wanted her to be as he cackled even louder. She flicked her shirt out, moving her bra to make all the ice cubes fall out.

Although she was groaning, she couldn't refrain from mirroring his smile in entertainment. The last couple of days had been so grueling and draining being stuck in the apartment, it was nice to loosen up for a bit.

Finally, he let up on poking and prodding at her, his tone much softer than the harsh and vulgar tone it had been just before, "I'll give you these anyway." He sang, placing a few strands of beads around her neck, "N'yew can jus' pay the deed at a later time, then." She raised her brow at him and kept her eyes low as she laughed mockingly, "Is that what you think?" She kept her brow raised with a smile.

He slid his arm around her and pulled her to begin walking, placing his mouth closer to her ear, "It's wot I _know_." He assured. Lily rolled her eyes, doing her best to not seem as excited at his dirty intentions as she actually was.

They were making their way down further into the crowd when suddenly, Cassidy stopped in his tracks, his arm still around Lily as she came to a stop too. She looked up at him, "What?" His nose scrunched, and he adjusted his shades. He inhaled, "Ahh, _shite_.." Cassidy sighed. Lily's brow arched, "What's the matter?" She asked a little more nervously.

Cassidy groaned, "Eccarius.." His arm suddenly felt much heavier around her. Reaching a hand up, she grabbed his hand from the arm that was around her and turned in towards him, "Want to get out of here?" She suggested, eager to hold onto the sparks just flying between them seconds ago.

Cassidy huffed, shaking his head and looking back down at her, "No." He sniffed, speaking so quietly he had to place his mouth to her ear to avoid Eccarius hearing anything, "He's gettin' closer. If I can smell 'im he can smell me. If we leave 'ell jus' follow. I'll see wot 'e wants." Lily nodded softly, saddened that Cassidy's light mood had to so quickly shift to annoyance. "I'm going to get us a drink." She said, slipping away from his arms. His face was disgruntled and he nodded, looking past the crowds and following his nose to see the direction he was expecting Eccarius to come from. He kept his eyes on Lily, watching her as she exchanged money with the bartender at the vendor.

When Eccarius' scent was it's strongest, it wasn't long after that Cassidy spotted him, sticking out like a sore thumb in the sea of people. He wore costuming as equally as tacky to Cassidy as the first time they'd met just days before, and Cassidy couldn't help but groan aloud at the sight.

"Cassidy!" Eccarius said as he approached him. "Eccarius-" Cassidy said flatly, "I see y'made yer way out o'yer crypt." He mocked. Eccarius nodded with a smirk, "I was not far when I caught your scent." He explained.

In the nick of time, Lily approached Cassidy's side, smiling at Eccarius, "Hi, Eccarius." She said much more politely than Cassidy had been. Her face alone was a sight for Cassidy's sore eyes, but what made him almost as happy was the fact she was balancing about 5 drinks in her hands and arms.

Lifting her arm to Cassidy, "Here." She said. Cassidy grabbed three cups - he didn't have to ask to know which ones were straight whiskey.

"I thought you said you didn't do well with crowds." Lily said lightheartedly to Eccarius. "I don't." He said with a handsome smile, "I was out for the evening when I caught the gust of wind bringing me Cassidy's scent. It seemed as if it was a sign - so I faced the brutal task of baring the crowd." He grinned.

Lily smiled back, "Hm." She hummed simply, motioning one of the last two drinks in her hands towards him. "No. Thank you." He said as he shook his head and raised a hand, politely declining the drink as he reached into his cloak pocket, revealing a large vile of no doubt blood. In her side vision, she saw Cassidy's face flatten. Lily cleared her throat, eager to not have any tension show through, "Do you need a cup for that?" She asked. Eccarius smiled, his eyes glistening at her, "That would be ideal."

Lily raised her brow, reaching to her tip toes as she pointed through the large crowd, "There's a vendor right across the way. I'm sure they'll give you a fresh empty cup."

Eccarius' eyes followed her finger before smiling at her again. Soon, he was consumed by the crowd.

Eccarius had hardly turned his back to them and Cassidy was already at Lily's direct side, his arm around her as he pulled her into him tightly. She was surprised at the tightness of his grasp, "Why are y'bein' so sweet t'im?" Cassidy hissed sourly against her ear.

She shrugged, her brows scrunched and her eyes widening as she sipped her drink, staring forward a moment. As she talked he moved his head so his ear was closer to her mouth, " _He's_ the one who found _us_ ," She started, "We're not out looking for him, so I have to believe he wants something." She whispered before turning her mouth to his ear, " _Also_ \- it's not exactly my number one priority to rub a stranger who's a vampire the wrong way, so if you could not be so fucking hostile-" She moved herself away from him as she side eyed the crowd around, "If I can behave so can you."

He squeezed onto her, his grip tightening around her, "There's no _need_ for that." He hissed, "It's going to do the exact opposite of wot yer goin' fer cos it's _obviously_ , fake. Y'don't even behave all sweet like t' _me,_ so why would you to him _?_ "

She moved her cup from her mouth and scrunched her brows as she turned looking to him. They were so close their faces were practically touching. Lily tried to lean back but it was useless in his grasp, "Is _that_ what this is about?" She asked, referring to his tight grasp around her and close confrontation, "Because you think I'm being _nicer_ to him than I am to you?" He didn't say anything, but she continued, "There's a big difference of the impression he's getting from me and how I actually feel. I'm curious, but I'm being _careful_ , Cassidy. My guard is up. So just calm down."

In an instant his mouth was against her ear again, his tone much harsher, "Y'don't need any guard fer that arsehole. _He's_ not the one y'need t'be worried about 'ere." He threatened lightly.

She turned her head and her eyes looked upwards, glaring daggers up to his. Before she could ask exactly what he meant with that threat, she noticed Eccarius heading back to them through the crowd. She decided to fight fire with fire, before Cassidy's rotten mood turned the situation more complicated than it needed to be. She turned all the way into Cassidy, her arms wrapping around his neck.

As Eccarius approached them again, he watched as Lily tip toed and reached up to Cassidy, pressing her lips hard against his. When they'd finally released, Lily kept her hands on either side of his face, her nose practically touching his as her eyes looked up at him longingly, "Why don't you get us some more drinks, _babe_?" She sang sweetly, eager to get him separate from Eccarius before he lost his head. Cassidy's face twitched slightly, knowing how cheeky she was being. He swallowed the lump in his throat, "Alright." He said simply. She smiled up at him, patting the side of his face as she released herself from Cassidy, who quickly found his way pushing through the crowd.

Cassidy was quickly making his way through all the people. As the crowd got thicker - it got a lot louder, and Lily's voice was soon being drowned out. He would be lying to himself if he didn't admit it made him too uncomfortable not to keep his ears of them.

He listened intently, back tracking a little sideways so he would still be out of sight, finding another drink vendor he could easily eavesdrop from while simultaneously indulging in whiskey.

"It doesn't bother you." Eccarius stated. "What doesn't?" Lily asked curiously. "Myself - drinking in front of you." He explained, lifting his cup that held the blood in it. From the distance, Cassidy felt his blood begin to boil as he drank another whiskey.

"Oh," Lily shook her head, closing her eyes as she smiled, "I try not to think about it, honestly."

Eccarius stared at his cup, his voice noticeably quieter, "I know Cassidy's mindset has him against the indulgence of blood, but certainly you've seen him feed?" She remembered many times, but specifically the first time - in the middle of the church in Annville as she thought he was dead. Lily took a sharp breath in, "Well, yes-" She paused a second, "But Cassidy only drinks when he needs to. When he's hurt." "Hm." Eccarius hummed, drinking from his cup.

Lily's brow raised, suddenly realizing how judgmental that sounded, "Not that I'm saying there's anything wrong with the way _either_ of you go about it." She clarified.

Eccarius couldn't refrain from smirking at her backpedaling, "Though, I take it if having to take a side, you would be in his favor?" He said. Lily shrugged, her eyes moved from his and searched the crowd a moment before looking back at him. "What kind of a girlfriend would I be if I wasn't?" She rolled her eyes playfully and she was relieved to see Eccarius chuckle.

There was a few seconds of silence between them, and even though there was a giant crowd of people and music playing all around them, Lily still felt the silence between the two of them them.

Eccarius spoke again, a bit quieter, and it was getting hard for Lily to rely on his voice as she began to read his lips, "Don't you think it's such a shame he can't enjoy just the simple fact of our nature?" He sang. His voice was so smooth and it was hard for Lily to find herself resisting the urge to lean closer to him.

She stared at his piercing red eyes, and her throat was tight, "I really don't have much of an opinion." She lied, "Cassidy's always just been clear to only drink blood when he's really hurting."

He turned his head slightly, "You mean to say he has never simply embraced the pleasure of tasting your own?" Eccarius asked very straightforwardly.

Cassidy nearly fell off the bar ledge of the vendor truck he'd been leaning on, quickly finding himself rushing back towards them.

Lily felt a shiver go through her as she tried to avoid her face from showing any disturbance, "No." Cassidy heard Lily say almost immediately. Trying to seem not phased, Lily laughed, " _God_ ," She inhaled, "No." She smiled. Eccarius studied her, and suddenly she felt very nervous. She didn't want to, but she had to speak to avoid any tension showing, "Not exactly on the list of things I look for in a relationship." She chuckled again.

He ignored her desperate attempts to play it cool, "I can hear your heart racing faster." Eccarius stated, making Lily even more anxious, "You're tempted by the thought, are you not?"

Lily was truly speechless. She felt entirely vulnerable as he was able to see through her and it was obvious by the dumb look on her face.

From not far, Cassidy was rushing through the crowd. First he had to put up with all the terrible cliches Eccarius came with, then he had to listen to him speak to Lily this way? All while she was still acting sickly sweet to him?

No.

Cassidy couldn't handle it any more. His mood was entirely shot and he didn't give a fuck about Lily's curiosity any longer.

The truth was, Lily had no choice but to continue acting sickly sweet. She was nervous. She wondered how long Cassidy was going to be before she had another drink to calm her newly arisen nerves. Eccarius was quick to speak again, "I feel as though the two of you would be enlightened by an experience I have created." He stated, "Especially Cassidy." Lily stared up at him and he continued speaking in his silky tone, "You should not resist merely what your being is - temptation must be embraced." It should've sounded cult-y and insane, but truthfully, Lily felt a little foggy brained as she stared between Eccarius' eyes and his lips.

"You think so?" Lily whispered, raising her brow.

As Cassidy approached them, she snapped out of the trance she'd unknowingly been in.

Cassidy was quick to wrap his arm around her, and she didn't have to see the look on his face to know that he had heard every word of that conversation. She stared at his empty hands, "What happened to getting more drinks?"

"We're goin' home." He growled down to her. Lily looked up at him and before she could ask why, all she saw was Cassidy's eyes peaking above his frames as they glared down at her. She nodded, "Alright." She said quickly, pushing away from him to throw out her empty cup as he leaned the opposite way to throw his cigarette on the ground.

"What were you saying, Eccarius?" Lily asked, desperate to know what he was getting at with the road of conversation they'd just gone down. For a few seconds, Eccarius' piercing red eyes moved between her eyes and her lips before he smiled politely, "Another time." He sang.

Cassidy watched Eccarius smiling the way he was, and felt his blood boil to the top of his head. Lily had told him to not be hostile and behave - but he couldn't go with it any longer.

"Hey!" A random stranger bellowed as he approached the front of Lily and flicked at the sparkly beads that Cassidy had placed around her neck, "Want another set, sweet heart?" He dangled a strand of beads in the air.

Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

This was just the cherry on top of Cassidy's shit mood sundae - and a perfect excuse to use the boiling over fury he was feeling. Before Lily could react, Cassidy had already turned the guy around and his fist was flying straight into the mans face.

There was a loud, **CRACK** as the surrounding crowd who had witnessed the action all turned to the spectacle and let out a unison collection of gasps and ' _Ooooh_ 's.' Eccarius looked about as surprised as Lily was as the stranger slammed backwards to the ground, his nose practically smashed into his face.

His buddies behind him looked up at Cassidy, "What the _Hell_ , man!?" One of them yelled. "Cassidy-" Lily said, yanking on him as she noticed a few police officers headed into the crowd to see the fuss, "Let's go." She said, dragging him opposite of the direction that Dennis' apartment was.

Eccarius really felt no choice but to get out of the spotlight as he followed quickly behind Lily pulling at Cassidy.

They'd ran down several blocks until they couldn't hear much any more. Lily panted, a little out of breath, "You want to go _home_ or go to _jail_ , Cassidy?" She said bitterly - her true personality showing better than the fake, sugar-coated front she'd had on since Eccarius had come around.

Cassidy scoffed, turning the corner of the street and using his heavy foot to push open a glass door into a little corner store. It was the middle of the night, but it was lucky the city didn't sleep. Lily stood upright, catching Eccarius' eyes. He cleared his throat, "I trust the two of you are no strangers to the law?" Lily lowered her eyes to him - if only he knew. Before Lily could say anything to Eccarius they were both startled by a loud crash.

Cassidy burst out of the corner store, kicking through the glass door as it shattered.

Lily and Eccarius turned their heads towards Cassidy, who had a bottle in one hand, a bag of loose cash in the other and a giant shit grin on his face, " _Run_!"


	64. Relax

" _Really_!?" Lily yelled at Cassidy, looking behind them to see the shop owner chasing them with a shotgun. It was several more blocks of running until suddenly, Eccarius pulled Lily into a side alley, Cassidy following closely. "We can't go that way!" Eccarius explained, "We will just wrap around back to the heart of the city - where there's already eyes out for you, in case you've forgotten!" He hissed.

They hustled a bit longer until finally, they slowed down.

"My feet." Lily panted, "These shoes, _ugh_!" She groaned, "Cassidy, I'm going to kill you if you keep us running around all ni-" Cassidy interrupted her, "Ah," He groaned back, placing the bag of money in her arms, "I know y'can't be _that_ mad at me." He was right. She flashed her eyes up to him. It wasn't a lot of money, but cash was cash. She placed it in her bag at her side as they kept walking.

Eccarius sighed, "I just don't see what could possibly be enjoyable about risking exposure the way you two do." "Hey!" Lily shrieked, " _You two_?" She repeated, "What about _any of that_ was **me**?" With a chuckle, Cassidy brought the bottle back up to his mouth and turned, walking further down the road.

Cassidy had no fury showing any more. Instead, he was a lot more lively - part of that likely because he now had a large bottle in his hand from the store he'd just robbed - but Lily wasn't convinced the alcohol was the only thing that he'd indulged in to enhance his mood.

He cracked the bottle and chugged back, his grin spreading across his face relieved Lily - whatever it took for Cassidy to keep his head on his shoulders, she was fine with it.

Eccarius studied Cassidy taking another swig from the bottle, "Wot?" Cassidy asked. "Your tastes bewilder me." Eccarius admitted honestly, "Though entirely unnecessary, you still enjoy food and drink of mortals."

Cassidy cleared his throat, "Speakin' of that," He started, wiping his mouth, "That vile you pulled out earlier - where was that blood from?" Eccarius raised his chin, sensing Cassidy's concern, "Don't believe me to be some kind of serial murderer. I only drain the blood of the drunk and foolish - those who cross myself after stumbling off their paths of stupidity." Eccarius explained.

"Hm." Cassidy hummed with relief, "So you can say you've sucked some pricks in yer time?" "Ye- what, no!" Eccarius backtracked, scoffing, "Cassidy! Why can't you take _anything_ serious!?" Cassidy cackled loudly and Lily was unable to resist laughing at his liveliness.

Suddenly, they'd found themselves in front of Eccarius' house again. "Hm." Cassidy hummed, "This is where y'took us? Back t'yer crypt?"

Eccarius shook his head, "I have something _else_ to show you, actually." He motioned towards the side of his house, revealing a cellar access door. There was a small group of people standing outside of it. There was a variety of ages in the group, but they all bared the same style - tacky Gothic. From chokers to black lipstick, thick eyeliner and fish netting, leather and chunky jewelry - it seemed like they were all heading to a costume party.

"Eccarius!" They all chimed when they caught sight of him. Lily and Cassidy both stopped in their tracks as Eccarius approached the small group. They swarmed him, as if he was the latest celebrity heart throb and they were devoted, prepubescent, teenage groupies. Lily and Cassidy stayed their distance, "Don't tell me these are more vampires." Lily asked nervously. Cassidy scrunched his face as he groaned, "They're as vampire as you are." Lily studied them crowding Eccarius.

Eccarius soon waved a hand out towards Lily and Cassidy, "This is Cassidy and Lily. He is like I, and she is like you, children." They all immediately reveled, swarming the two of them with a cluster of voices and attention.

 _"There's this underground club that Eccarius started right here in his basement!"_

 _"Where we don't need to hide what we really are."_

 _"Everyone is welcome-"_

 _"We call ourselves Les Enfants du Sang-"_

 _"There is no judgement._

They went from all talking at once over top of each other, to suddenly stopping all together, until a girl spoke again, "You two should come down." She suggested.

Lily looked to Cassidy. She would be lying to say she wasn't curious, and frankly, so would he. "There more to drink?" He asked, swishing his nearly empty bottle. The girl looked up at him with mischievous eyes and a grin, "There's _lots_ to drink."

* * *

They had no idea that this girl would be referring to blood and _only_ blood. The basement was quite similar to a dungeon, obviously an intentional detail. Although it was a large area, not much filled it. There was the odd piece of furniture, and obviously no electricity. The only light came from the dozens and dozens of candles that were lit around the area. What really set the disturbing mood were the people. Though they were all human, they drank blood from each other.

Lily stared at a pentagram stained on the wall while a girl approached Cassidy, her wrist cut and dripping blood, "Eccarius won't drink from me no matter how I ask or beg." She looked up to Cassidy with pleading eyes, "Is there something I'm doing wrong?" Lily swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Definitely." Cassidy said, lighting a cigarette, "Next time slice downwards." He stated simply. The girl looked up at him in confusion as Cassidy tugged on Lily to keep them moving. Cassidy looked at Eccarius, standing a ways away from them.

In one of Eccarius' ears, a faithful follower was rehearsing a poem, one that was awful enough to make Cassidy want to vomit. It was obvious he wasn't going to run out of shitty material any soon, the stack of papers in his hand was massive.

Lily should've been as disgusted and disturbed as Cassidy was, but truth was, she wasn't seeing _any_ of the terrible things Cassidy was. Before she could get a real reaction from the demented surroundings, Eccarius was already distracting her from it. She was transfixed on Eccarius, who stood in front of her and talked to her, only hearing his voice regardless of the noisy surroundings, and it was like Cassidy wasn't even phased at Eccarius' standing in front of them, "Just take a nice, deep breath in." Eccarius sang, "Just allow yourself now to relax more... and more."

It was similar as she felt when they were standing in town just an hour before, entirely consumed by his words, but this time - it was much stronger. She was beginning to lose touch of her surroundings as her vision tunneled to him.

His voice was so smooth, each word he spoke put her more and more into a deeper state of intense tranquility. She didn't want to risk her voice ruining the fluidity of his, so she kept her mouth shut. "The nicest thing, is that _wonderful_ feeling of physical and mental relaxation that can pulse throughout your entire body." Soon, she felt like it was just Eccarius and herself standing on their own, everyone else's voices and the music became extremely distant.

Suddenly, Eccarius grabbed both of her hands, and his words were getting slower and quieter each second, "Because from this moment in time, there is nothing," He shook his head softly, " _Nothing_ of importance for you to do-" And in the blink of an eye, his arms were around her and his lips were against hers and the worst part was, she wasn't rejecting it. He spoke again, "Except _relax."_ Suddenly, she felt him move his lips to her ear, as he hissed so quietly in a tone that Lily had never heard, one that made her shiver to her core, much like when Jesse used Genesis, " _Relax_."

She wasn't sure what was about to happen, but in an instant, Cassidy pulled her out of her trance, "Hey," He repeated, "Hey!" He wrapped his arm around her and she finally looked up at him, her eyes showing how caught of guard she was, "What?" She asked. "You hear _anythin_ ' I've just been sayin'?" Cassidy asked. Upon touching her, he raised his brow, "Yer heart - it's almost stopped, you alright?" He asked nervously. "Yea." She nodded, turning back to Eccarius only to realize he wasn't even there. "Just drunk." Lily said truthfully. She placed her hand on her chest - he was right, she felt her heart and it was really slow.

She took a deep breath.

Had she just imagined that? She knew it wasn't a vision - it had been something much different. She felt light headed. "Where's Eccarius?" Lily asked cautiously.

"Haven't hardly seen 'im since we've been down 'ere." Cassidy said, puffing from a cigarette. Lily felt her heart speed up from it's slow state as her mouth went dry, "He... wasn't just standing here?" Lily asked.

Sparking a new cigarette the same time he was stomping one out, Cassidy shook his head, "Nope." He exhaled, "He's been keepin' his distance from us, thankfully." Cassidy said, examining the desperate young man _still_ reading Eccarius his awful poetry, "Not far enough though. Can still hear that bleedin' gobshite practically stickin' his nose up Eccarius' arse, ha!" He snorted.

When Lily didn't laugh back, Cassidy's smile faded a bit, noticing she must be exhausted.

"I think we've seen enough fer one night." Cassidy decided, "We should head out, then?" He said. Lily blinked, "Already?" Cassidy smirked, "We've been here nearly an hour, I don't know about _you_ , but fer _me_ , I think that's enough for one lifetime."

An _hour_? Lily felt sick. How did she just completely lose touch - for an _hour_?

"An hour?" Lily asked. "Yea." Cassidy laughed, "Y'can imagine how dry my mouth is." He shook his empty bottle in the air.

She followed Cassidy a little closer as they walked towards the door. Cassidy moved his eyes towards Eccarius. "I'd say goodbye-" Cassidy said with his arm around her, "But I don't really have the patience in me to wait in line." He teased, flashing his eyes to the crowd of people around Eccarius as they quickly hustled by.

Their full intentions were to slip out quickly, when a voice caught their attention, "Eccarius, _please_ ," They heard a girl begging him from a few feet away, " _Why_ don't you drink from me?" A girl asked him, "You _know_ I want it." Lily felt her mind begin to fog again, listening to the girl beg as he stood above her, "That's just it." Eccarius sang, "I don't believe you want it enough." Lily felt her hair on her skin stand and her mouth water, and suddenly, Cassidy turned them around and moved his arm off her.

"Here!" Cassidy yanked on Eccarius' shoulder, turning him around and holding him by his frilly scruff as he dragged him away from the crowd around him, "Wot th'Hell is amatter wit ye? Encouragin' that _shite_!"

"It amuses me." Eccarius stated. "Ye mean it strokes yer ego!" Cassidy corrected, letting go of Eccarius' scruff. His tone wasn't angry, just judgmental, "All these eejits, practically bowin' down t'ye - yer more a wanker than I thought." He shook his head with a chuckle and puffed his cigarette.

A man's voice bellowed from behind them, "That's a brave way for new blood to be talkin'." Lily turned, having to crank her neck up to look at the absolute unit of a man that was calling Cassidy out.

Lily's eyes moved to Cassidy, who moved himself from facing Eccarius to facing the large man, " _New blood_?" He asked with a brow arched. "Yea!" The man bellowed, "Your first night here and _that's_ the way you're talking? Like some tough guy!?-"

Cassidy smiled.

"Mako," Eccarius started, stepping a little closer to the altercation, "I don't believe that's such a-"

"Step up to your mouth, then, asshole!" Mako continued, "Show us why you think you can just-" Cassidy had heard enough to justify an invitation to kick this Mako guy's ass. He lunged forward to Mako, his fist flying into his face and breaking his jaw before he shoved the neck of the empty bottle in his mouth, lodging the bottle down his throat, before grabbing the large man by the shoulders and heaving him across the room, his body breaking through a door.

If Lily felt dreary before, she was suddenly very wide awake, staring back at the crowd of astounded people looking at Cassidy.

He reefed on Eccarius' collar, leading him out the doorway as Lily followed. When they got out of the basement, Cassidy slammed the door shut on their way out, tossing Eccarius to the ground before he stopped in his tracks. "What?" Lily asked, "Wait," Cassidy said, turning back around, "There's somethin' I need t'do." Lily watched him kick the door in, an unnecessary move, but a statement at that, and peered in to watch what he was doing.

Cassidy's eyes quickly caught the poet, his stack of papers still in his hand, and Cassidy wasted no time snatching his stack of paper in his grasp and shoving it down his throat.

* * *

"How _dare_ you talk to down on me in front of everyone!" Eccarius shamed, as the three of them were walking down the streets yet again, "Make me to look such a fool!"

"No, no." Cassidy said, opening a new bottle from a store he'd just stepped into, "I've seen enough, y'need real help, alright? It was time t'get out of there. Enough of this-" Cassidy noticed Eccarius wasn't at their side any more. He turned and Lily did the same, staring at his nervous eyes that were focusing behind them. "Wot's yer problem now?" Cassidy and Lily followed his eyes, seeing a large, historical church in front of them.

Cassidy leaned back and laughed, echoing down the empty street.

"Don't tell me-" Cassidy couldn't finish his sentence before laughing again, " This is _exactly_ my point! Man, you've got real issues."

"I avoid churches at all cost." Eccarius stated, "As should you."

Cassidy didn't seem to phased by Eccarius' judgment as he finished another swig from the bottle, "Well," Cassidy said, reaching his arms out, "Let's break some barriers, shall we?" He cackled as he spun around and jumped, clearing the five or so steps up to the front doors of the church.

Lily smiled up at him and followed him up the stairs as she opened the two large doors to the church. She peaked her head in. Inside, there wasn't anyone in sight, "Hello? God?" She yelled in a desperate tone into the large, empty church. Cassidy laughed at her, "Could yew imagine if we found 'im 'ere?"

He staggered a bit while he drank from his bottle again, "After everythin' yer brother's gone threw, we jus' get pissed n'waltz into the first church we see n'God's jus sittin there havin' a smoke." He pointed a finger towards the pews as he cackled again.

Lily smiled at the sight of Cassidy getting a kick out of himself. She'd binged drank enough in the last several minutes to move the worry she had about the episode back in Eccarius' basement to the back of her head - for now.

The combination of exhaustion and the alcohol was making her head fuzzy and large part of her wished that Eccarius wasn't around so she could jump on Cassidy. It had been days since they'd had time alone and tonight she had to be cock blocked by Eccarius.

On that note, she turned back around to see if Eccarius was even still _there_ , since he'd been awfully quiet and it was still just her and Cassidy standing up the few steps at the open doorway of the church.

Eccarius remained at a distance, nearly on the sidewalk still. Cassidy lifted the bottle to his mouth, cranking his neck back.

Lily lowered her eyes to him, "Eccarius." She said, "You'll be _fine_. Look." She pushed Cassidy inside the doors of the church and he nearly fell over as he grabbed himself on the door fame with his free hand, laughing loudly. She shrugged a shoulder, shaking her head, "Cassidy's fine." Lily raised her brows at Cassidy and couldn't help but join his cackling.

"I almost dropped my bottle." He said, standing upright again, " _Then_ I wouldn't've been so fine." They laughed again, a bit distracted in their drunk banter.

Finally, they'd both noticed Eccarius, who stayed his distance, only looking more disturbed. Suddenly, Cassidy's smile faded and his energy wasn't playful at all.

"Eccarius." Cassidy growled sternly, "Get up 'ere." Lily felt her smile fade away quickly, feeling Cassidy's mood change like a light switch, leaning towards him as she grabbed him, "Cassidy." She whispered cautiously.

Eccarius' mouth twitched, "No." His voice cracked, spitting words up towards Cassidy, "This is too _absurd_ \- **too** far, Cassidy." He began scolding, "This is Holy ground. Our nature doesn't-" Cassidy shoved the bottle into Lily's chest, and moved himself from the feeble grasp of her before he jumped down the stairs, approaching Eccarius very closely as she stayed put at the top of the steps, "Get in the church. _Now_." He growled. Eccarius shook his head, his lips shut tight.

Lily watched, realizing Cassidy was right. She'd been feeling off about Eccarius, obviously for good reason, but now, Cassidy was the one she was worried about.

Staring at Eccarius, Cassidy felt sick. It seemed as Eccarius was feeling the same way, his mouth twisting and his face getting red as he finally spat out, "Scum!" Before raising his fist and punching Cassidy upside the jaw - his shades flying off his face and landing on the pavement.

With instant regret coming over him, Eccarius stared forward at Cassidy as he pulled himself up carefully, spitting on the ground. With sheer terror in his eyes, Eccarius looked into Cassidy's, "What... happened to your _eyes_?" He asked, to which Cassidy lunged forward, grabbing Eccarius by the shoulders and head butted him square in the face. When Cassidy's head connected with Eccarius' face, it sounded like thunder.

Groaning in agony, Eccarius fell backwards onto the concrete, opening his eyes and fluttering them as he struggled to regain vision. Eccarius reached a hand up to one of his eyes and began crawling on all fours on the ground, "My contacts!" He shrieked, "One of them fell out!"

As he stood up, his one eye remained bright and vibrant, while the other was normal. His natural iris was dull and almost black but other than that, it was far from as extraordinary compared to the image of them he had presented.

Lily glanced at Cassidy, catching his eyes. She still had the bottle gasped in her chest before she finally lowered it and stepped down to their level, snagging Cassidy's shades from the ground, "Cassidy." She said, standing in front of him as she slid his sunglasses on his face, "Let's go." He moved his glaring eyes from Eccarius to her and finally turned around.

As they walked further away from Eccarius, she already felt better. She handed Cassidy the bottle and he was quick to drink from it. After a while of walking, she wanted to ask if he could still pick up on Eccarius' scent - but quickly came to terms that that, especially with being with Cassidy, she had nothing to worry about.


	65. Born Again

Neither of them spoke about anything that had happened with Eccarius, they'd just talked and walked aimlessly while focusing on finishing the bottle.

They were both staggering down the side of the road, and it seemed like Lily had adopted the habit of drinking straight from the bottle as they passed it back and forth. The two of them nearly hit their goal - the liquid in the bottle was nearly all gone.

The both of them were wasted. In a fit of drunken laughter, Lily nearly fell over into Cassidy as she hooked her arm with his. "Ah-" She sighed, having a moment of realization of exactly how plastered she was, "We gotta get home, Cass." "Yea." Cassidy sighed, "Yer right." He agreed, taking another swig before handing her the bottle again. As they approached a street intersection, they pulled each other opposite ways.

Lily almost lost her balance again at Cassidy's pull, "What are you doing?" She slurred, staggering towards him with her arm still linked to his. He tilted his head, "Home's this way." "No." Lily said slowly and softly, her eyes closed, "It's not. It's this way." She pointed the bottle the opposite direction. "Yer really arguin' with _me_ right now?" Cassidy started, "In case you've forgotten, I'm a vampire, Lily." He said loudly. A few passerby's side eyed the two of them, writing the scenario off as two people who were extremely high. "Pfft!" Lily scoffed as Cassidy continued, "I've got a super sense of smell, among other things, such as an _excellent_ sense of direction, now, jus' listen-" "Fuck you." Lily stated, taking another swig from the large bottle as she winced.

"Wot?" Cassidy asked. Lily leaned closer to him, "Fuck. You." She shoved the bottle to his chest, " _And_ your _super_ vampire senses... or whatever." He cackled at her drunkenness.

"Here." She said, "Let's put this argument to rest." Struggling to get her phone in her hand, she finally managed to press the main button to make it beep at her, "Hey Siri... you... bitch." She slurred with a laugh, "Which way is home?"

They waited for the phone to think, "Home is this way, Lily." The phone's monotone voice stated.

They stared at the map on the phone, the compass pointing not left where Lily was tugging, not right where Cassidy was tugging, but directly behind them.

"Fuck."

"We've been walking the wrong way fer God only knows how long."

They laughed, and eventually Lily sighed, holding her phone up to her mouth, "Siri. Get us a damn cab."

* * *

When they got back to the apartment, Jesse nor Tulip were anywhere to be seen. Cassidy B-lined it to Dennis' room, checking up on him to see he was still sleeping. It had been the most rest he'd gotten in days, and it relieved Cassidy as much as it made him sad.

Leaving Dennis' door open a crack, Cassidy turned and staggered back into the kitchen, finding Lily rummaging through the fridge. She pulled her entire upper body out of it, her arms full of an assortment of food. She bit into some cold pizza in her hand as she dropped her armload of food on the counter. She snagged a bottle of hot sauce from the pile and squeezed a large amount of it on the slice.

Cassidy walked by her, leaning and taking a bite out of the slice of cold pizza in her hand, " _Hey_!" Her voice was muffled with a full mouth of pizza as she swayed away from him, her brows went narrow. She yanked the slice out his mouth, "Get your own." She washed down the giant mouthful with some water from a bottle she'd grabbed.

He chuckled at her, opening the freezer as he grabbed a couple blood bags. It took Lily far too long to realize what he was heating up on the stove.

"Did I miss something?" Lily asked with another mouthful, sauntering up to the side of the stove and leaning against the counter, "Are you hurt?" She cranked her neck back, drinking from the water bottle again as the hot sauce was tucked under her arm to add to her next slice of pizza.

He smiled at her, "No - but I could use some soberin' up." Cassidy stated, raising his brows at her as he took his sunglasses off and tucking them into the collar of his shirt, "So could _you_ , actually." He grabbed a fresh knife from the block on the counter and grazed his palm, lifting it above her bottle of water. She watched the blood drop into the water before she leaned forward with the bottle of hot sauce, squirting a large amount of it into the pot. "Hey!" Cassidy said, placing his cut open palm against his pants as he grabbed the hot sauce from her.

" _Wot_ the _Hell_." He groaned. She laughed drunkenly, almost choking on her mouthful of food. Cassidy couldn't hold back his smile as he moved the pan to the sink and rinsed it out, grabbing a new bag of blood from the freezer.

Lily ripped the tough, old pizza from her mouth, "What gives?" She chewed, lifting herself to sit on the counter top, "Not a hot sauce fan?" He shook his head, "Not in this. No." She took a breath as she leaned back against the cupboard behind her, "What's it taste like to you, anyway?" She asked, "It's not like- metallic or sour is it?" Cassidy's eyes moved up to hers as he stirred the icy blood in the pot, "No." He said shortly.

"It's sweet, right?" She asked. He held his breath as he watched a spark ignite in her eyes. She swayed a bit on spot. He wasn't sure if he was imagining it, but her tone of voice was suddenly much more silky, "Like... a hot fudge brownie? Or a chocolate dipped strawberry?..." Cassidy was suddenly much more aware and thankful that Jesse's use of Genesis not to hurt Lily was paying off in the long run, particularly in this moment. He slipped his sunglasses back over his eyes. "Orrr..." Lily sang, "Like dark chocolate banana bread?" She asked. Cassidy was a little out of breath, and he nearly jumped out of his skin when she moaned, "Mm!" She dropped the pizza in her hand and turned to the cupboards behind her. " _Yes_!" She celebrated, finding some semi-sweet baking chocolate and grabbing a bruised banana from the counter top before she paired the two together and took a mouthful of the combination.

She had that fiery burn still glaring in her eyes, "That's what it's like, isn't it?" She asked again.

"Yea." Cassidy said, clearing his throat and giving his head a shake. He made a point to move his eyes from hers down to the pot as he continued stirring, "That's about right." She hummed, eating another slice of chocolate as she swayed towards him with a smile, "I only assumed, since that's what your blood tastes like to me." She licked the melted chocolate on her fingers, "Weird, huh?" Cassidy took a deep breath, careful to keep his eyes glued to the pot in front of him, "Yea." He said again, "Weird." His eyes caught the bottle of blood laced water beside her, "Drink your medicine y'little drunk."

She scrunched her face at him, her one arm crossed as the other held the bottle of blood laced water to her mouth. She spoke with the bottle in her mouth, "Out there telling Eccarius _he's_ the one with issues." Lily laughed through her nose as she downed the bottle.

"Yea..." Cassidy sighed, turning off the stove and pouring the hot blood into a cup, "We all have our issues - 'is are jus' _particularly_ fucked." Lily smiled politely, placing the empty bottle down. He stared at her, "I gotta grab some stuff from the bedroom before y'go to bed." She nodded, sliding off the counter and following Cassidy to the bedroom.

Lily closed the door behind them, watching as he rummaged through a drawer he'd stashed some stuff in before he walked to the other end of the room, opened the window, and dragged a chair beside it. He sat and sparked a joint he'd just grabbed from the drawer in the corner of the bedroom.

He placed the cup of blood on the window sill, and she was happy to see he hadn't taken a sip of it yet.

The taste of human blood when she kissed him wasn't an idea she admired.

"What happened to sobering up?" She noted the joint in his mouth. He smiled with it between his lips, "This is just part of the process." "Ah." She nodded. He exhaled a large trail of smoke, "Ere I was thinkin' gettin' out fer a bit would clear my mind n'blow off some steam..." He puffed smoke out his mouth, "But even smackin' the shite outta _two_ gobshites didn't help."

Lily's mind was suddenly less hazy thanks to Cassidy's blood. She was no longer wasted, but she _was_ still buzzed.

"I enjoyed our time tonight." Lily stated, taking her jacket off and hanging it up behind the door. Cassidy cackled, practically keeling over as he coughed on the joint he'd inhaled from, "Yea!" He choked out, "Right!" He snorted, catching his breath. Unable to join his contagious laughing, Lily looked at him, tying her hair up as she walked his way, "No, _really_." She said, raising her brow, "I mean it."

"Enough takin' a piss." Cassidy grinned, "I get it." He huffed, "Time wasted. I see that, don't you worry." He assured. Lily shook her head, "I'm _not_ joking-" She insisted, "Really. Seeing what the opposite of you is like really made me appreciate you." She admitted, looking at him.

He held still, holding the joint just below his mouth as he studied her, unsure to take her sweet tone serious or whether to take it as her mocking him. "Oh yea?" He mused, uncrossing his legs, "How's that?"

"Well for starters, with you there's no fake persona." Lily sang.

"Ya-" Cassidy chuckled, "I'm a real arse. But at least I'm honest." Turning his head to the side to blow a smoke trail out the window, he was caught by surprise by her quickly finding her way to sit on the arm rest of the chair as she wrapped an arm around his neck.

"And no tacky contact lenses." She snatched his sunglasses off of him and threw them behind her as they clanked to the ground. His brow scrunched looking up at her.

She studied his eyes. They were breathtaking - and not in the beautiful kind of way.

"So if I'm hearin' y'correctly.." Cassidy acted clueless as he gripped onto her hips, "You don't mind, n'I can act like an ass?"

She couldn't resist kissing him, and just as quickly, she slid off the armrest and found herself straddling his lap as her arms wrapped around his neck. Finally she moved her lips away from his. Her head was fuzzy again, and it wasn't alcohol related, she spoke so quietly and her lips were practically still touching his, "I'd rather you have your eyes and act like the honest ass you are, than wear cheap colored contacts and act like a total _wanker_."

Cassidy threw his head back and laughed, entirely amused by the situation, "You _really_ -" "Shh." Lily whispered, kissing him, "No more talking." She clawed at his coat, eager to shed his clothing of him.

Suddenly his energy flattened and he groaned, "Lily." He squeezed his hands that held around her, "I 'ave t'get to Dennis."

"Just 10 more minutes." She demanded, kissing him, "You said so yourself-" She kissed him again, "You need to blow off some steam. You'll feel better for it." He laughed at her efforts to persuade him, as if it was necessary, " _And,"_ She sang as she pressed her lips to his once more before leaned back a bit, flicking the sparkly beads that were still around her neck, "I've got a deed to pay, remember?"

* * *

10 minutes had, of course, turned into an hour. Lily was fast asleep in Cassidy's arms and he knew he was going to have to leave the very comfortable place, not that he wanted to.

She had been right, though. He did feel much better. His head felt clearer than it had in the past few days. As he walked back into Dennis' room he placed his sunglasses back on his face and stared at Dennis for a moment. Cassidy asked himself how it could be fair that someone as awful as Eccarius have the benefit of eternal life when he was the world's largest wanker, meanwhile his no-bothersome son had to have an expiry date.

Soon, Cassidy found himself quietly singing Dennis the same tune he had when he first laid eyes on him so many years ago.

The blood he'd heated up was cold, and untouched because, subconsciously, Cassidy knew it hadn't been for him. He couldn't have given a shit about sobering up.

With his mind clear and made up, like a light switch, Cassidy came to terms of just how prepared he was to give Dennis the chance to be born again.


	66. Forgiveness

_Thank you to all the Guest accounts who've taken time to review - it really makes my day seeing your feedback, I wish I had a way to reply directly but that's what guest accounts are for, I suppose!_

 _I don't generally do blurbs or shout outs, but this one is very necessary:_

 _A great big special, internet hug thank you to the user Fuchsia Grasshopper. As I'm sure you all notice, they are the most dedicated story reviewer of this fic, and their feedback is so descriptive and helpful, it's a big part of the reason I've been able to stick with the motivation of writing this story! I always look forward to reading their say. So, thank you, so much. :)_

* * *

"So," Lily asked, her head pounding only a little as she was pouring coffee in the kitchen. She could only imagine how much more severe her hangover would've been had she not had her dose of Cassidy's blood before bed. Her brother sat at the kitchen table in front of the closed laptop, "What was coming in here yesterday demanding my gun for?" Turning towards her brother to see his back, "You were out most the night, too. What happened?" When he still didn't respond, she walked towards him.

Inside Jesse's mind, he was remembering a much more awful time. It had been consuming him lately, and he wondered why he felt especially haunted by the terrible memories of his childhood recently. "Jesse!" She yanked on him. His large eyes looked up at her, "What?" She huffed, realizing how fried his brain was and sparing him the interrogation, "Just tell me if you got somewhere yesterday and, more importantly, that my gun's OK?"

He chuckled feebly, opening the laptop, "Got nowhere. Gun's fine. It's in my room." She nodded, walking towards the room and grabbing the gun sitting on the bedside table. Grabbing it, she stopped in her tracks and noted the empty bed. She held the gun in her hand as she began walking back towards the kitchen, heading to the far counter by the stove as she threw some bread in the toaster and placed the gun on the counter.

She grabbed the pot of coffee, "Tulip not make it home again?" She asked as she poured her brother a cup of coffee.

"Nope." He said simply. At the same time, the door down the hallway opened, and into the kitchen walked Cassidy. He paid no attention to Jesse on his way by but made a point to address Lily.

Lily gulped down her coffee, feeling like the most blissful thing to happen to her, placing the mug on the counter by the stove she stood at, waiting for her toast to pop. "Coffee?" She asked. "No thanks." Cassidy said, turning from the freezer with two blood bags in his arms.

Lily leaned against the counter beside the stove, watching Casidy taking a knife from the block and slicing the top of the frozen blood bag off, grabbing a pan and slipping the block onto it before putting it to high stove top heat.

It was a severe case of deja vu, since they had been standing in the exact same place and she'd been wondering the exact same thing she was now just several hours before. Lily felt queasy at the idea of human gore being heated in the same pot she had made food in, not to mention how domestic Cassidy made it look as he nonchalantly prepared it. When the toast popped, she flinched. Lily cleared her throat as she looked Cassidy up and down once quickly. Leaning closer to him with her brow arched she asked, "Are you alright?"

Cassidy shook his head to her and smiled, "I'm fine." He said to her. She pulled back, a bit confused as to why he was just suddenly so casual about prepping some blood in front of them when he had been so vocal about his opinion on drinking blood for any reason but to heal. He'd made it obvious many times that his way was only to drink blood if it was absolutely necessary.

"Dennis is feelin' better." He stated loudly, ensuring Jesse would hear.

Lily felt her heart skip as beat as she turned her head to him with wide eyes. She placed the butter knife down. It didn't take a genius to piece together what was going on. Dennis was minutes from death, there was no turning around from that - "He is?" She choked out, her eyes flickering to the blood bags in his hands. Cassidy nodded, his eyes looked back to Jesse, who had his back turned to them.

Lily noticed Jesse pay no attention to Cassidy's good news, and it obviously pissed Cassidy off. "Hey, Jess?" Cassidy said, turning towards him. Jesse turned around from the laptop. "What?" He asked, his brows raised as he'd not been listening to anything except what was on his computer screen.

"I jus' said Dennis is feelin' better." Cassidy repeated.

"Oh," Jesse said with a long pause, "That's great, Cass." He said halfheartedly.

He turned around towards Jesse, "Turns out we didn't need yer help aft'rall." He was still smiling, but his words were bitter. Lily flashed her eyes at Cassidy at her side, then back to Jesse as she sipped her coffee.

Jesse didn't say anything, turning back around, and Cassidy decided not to let things go that easy as he began to walk towards the other counter, on the other side sat Jesse at the table, "So yer jus' gonna try googlin' God then? See wot comes up on the web, hope fer the best? _That's_ wot it's come to?" He said in a judgmental tone, to which Jesse turned and stood up to stand face to face with Cassidy, "God is missing, Cass!" He raised his voice harshly, "Don't you understand how serious this is?"

Lily leaned out from the counter towards them, "Just calm down." She tried to defuse the situation and watched as Cassidy's stiff face turned from Jesse, putting his back to him as he stood at Lily's side again, staring at the stove top.

"Calm down?!" Jesse asked, "Calm down." He repeated as he dropped his shoulders and placed his hands on the counter staring at his sister. Lily looked at him, her toast in hand as she kept her eyes low and just humored him by listening to him ramble, "Without God there's no structure, no order. Without God-" Then, his rambling was interrupted. Lily turned her head to her right where Cassidy stood as he slammed the knife into the pan, breaking the icy blood chunks apart with obvious annoyance.

Cassidy paused for a moment, "Without God-" Jesse tried to continue, but was immediately interrupted again as Cassidy slammed the knife into the pan repeatedly. The sound of the knife scraping on the metal bottom of the pan as he stirred with it when suddenly he threw the knife into the chopping block and dipped his finger in it, lifting his pinky finger to his mouth as he stared back at Jesse while he stuck it in his mouth. He smirked to Jesse as he raised his brows, "Almost done." Lily squinted her eyes closed as her mouth twisted, throwing her toast down with a groan and sudden loss of appetite.

To add to the emotions of the room, the front door opened and in filed Tulip. She had terrible, dark circles under her eyes and a translucent tinge to her skin.

Jesse could hardly get a syllable out before Tulip was stopping him,"Wh-" "Don't say it, Jesse!" She warned in a loud voice, before lowering it in a hissing tone, "Don't. Say. It."

"You couldn't return my calls?" Lily asked. Tulip rolled her eyes and huffed, opening the fridge, "Not you, too, Lily." She turned, staring at Cassidy heating up the blood on the stove and ignoring his concerned eyes, "Hey, can I steal one of those?" She pointed at the frozen blood bag on the counter.

"Yea," Cassidy said softly, "Sure." Cassidy and Lily's eyes both followed Tulip as she sat at the kitchen table. Cassidy stayed at the stove, watching as Lily followed Tulip like a shadow. As Tulip sat at the table, she threw her legs up onto the top of it and crossed her one leg over the other. Lily and Jesse watched her nestle in, noticing the terrible bruises on her chest underneath her coat as she winced, placing the frozen blood bag to the area.

"Tulip!" Lily hissed, pulling her coat away for a better look at the bruised area, "What the _Hell_?" It looked like she got her chest beat in by a gorilla.

Tulip chuckled feebly, her big, doe eyes framed with dark bags glaring up at Lily as a malicious grin spread across her lips, "I trust _this_ will shut you up and you'll leave me alone." She slammed a large roll of cash down on the kitchen table her feet were up on. Lily perked up in surprise and Cassidy stepped away from the stove, closer to the all of them at the table.

"Tulip, love. I think' y'should relax on th-"

Jesse's harsh voice startled all of them, "It's fine!" He demanded, "We're good." Tulip's malicious glare moved from Jesse to Cassidy, "You hear that, Cass? It's fine, we're good." She smiled, but her tone so sour it placed a terrible tensity in the air that Jesse had already started.

Lily suddenly felt terribly out of place between the two of their energy. There was a time and place for her to be placing her nose between the two of them, and with how nasty each of their moods were at this moment, it reminded her a lot of being between the two of them during the Viktor fiasco - and she didn't like it.

She turned, towards Cassidy, flashing her eyes to him and he knew better than to antagonize the situation any more, regardless of his desire to. He turned back to the stove.

Lily was surprised by Jesse's voice as he consoled Tulip - it was soft and reassuring.

She couldn't help but peak over her shoulder to take a look at her brother, his soft touch against Tulip and his gentle voice cooing and assuring her. Soon, Cassidy was unable to refrain from doing the same and peaking at the scenario.

Cassidy and Lily felt the same thing staring at the moment - Tulip and Jesse were lucky to have each other - no matter how rotten their moods may be, they always found a common ground to mend their broken spirits.

Suddenly, that thought went to shit in their minds as the air went stale and their blood ran cold - like the sound of nails on a chalk board, Jesse used Genesis, " **Sleep**."

Tulip fell limp into his arms and both Lily and Cassidy felt their guts twist in disturbance. As Cassidy grabbed the pot and walked past Jesse, he made a point of stopping beside him and Tulip, giving just enough time to make glaring eye contact a moment before walking into the dark hallway.

Lily walked up to her brother, looking at Tulip asleep on his shoulder. "She needs to sleep." Jesse stated. Lily felt her heart break a little bit. Cassidy may have been clearly pissed at the situation, but Lily was simply disappointed. Jesse had taken a cheap way out of a situation and it wasn't fair to Tulip or what she deserved. Her brow furrowed slightly as she nodded, her lips straight.

She stared down the hallway a moment, towards Dennis' room where Cassidy had gone into, knowing very well that the blood Cassidy had made up for wasn't for himself. She remembered the night before - questioning him the same way, though extremely inebriated, when he was warming blood up after they'd gotten back..

 _"Could use some soberin' up."_ He had said.

Less than a minute later he'd been smoking a doobie in their room. He hadn't cared about sobering up - He hadn't even taken a _sip_ of the blood, and she thought that was because she'd distracted him from it, but suddenly, she began to wonder if that blood had been for himself at all...

She decided to follow Cassidy, but not before locking eyes with her brother one last time, a saddened streak in her eyes passing judgment with no words needed.

Lily knocked on Dennis' bedroom door, and Cassidy opened it soon after, squeezing himself out of the room and closing the door before Lily could even catch a glimpse of Dennis. "Hey." He said softly, but with a hard face. Lily turned her head, "Hey." She said back gently, "I just wanted to see how Dennis is doing." She crossed her arms, studying his face. "Oh," He said, "He's really tired now, actually. Maybe later."

She nodded, reading his expression, hard to see his eyes in the dark hallway and past his shades. Cassidy was already pissed at Jesse for hardly trying let alone caring for anything to do with Dennis, his move to use Genesis on Tulip just now just pissed him off even more, and it was very obvious. Taking a sharp breath, Lily pointed her thumb over her shoulder, "Want to have a drink?" She asked softly. He narrowed his brow, "At this hour of the mornin'?" She glared at him and she was relieved to see he cracked a small smile while he nodded, "Of course." "Deck a good place?" She asked. "Any place is a good place fer a drink." He stated, "Gimme a minute. I'll meet you out there." She nodded.

Lily sat outside the bedroom window on the little balcony as she drank her second large cup of coffee, trying to get the bad taste he brother's attitude had put in her mouth.

Staring aimlessly at the street below, her mind raced, when suddenly, Cassidy crawling through the window onto the balcony caught her attention instead. He stuck one leg over the window leg, lifting his head towards her, "Hey." He said, hobbling over as he threw his other leg over the ledge. There was a large tree close by that blocked the sunlight from reaching them, but he still bundled up in a jacket and hat for good measure.

Cassidy sat down, pulling out a bottle from his jacket and offering her some, "Some of my home brew." He stated, "Want to make yer mornin' coffee a little more interesting?" He smiled. "Pfft." She laughed, moving her cup far away from him, "If I wanted to get knocked out I'd punch myself in the head." He cackled, drinking some himself.

"Thank you, though." She said sweetly, "That's very kind." He moved the bottle from his mouth and grinned at her condescending words.

There was a sudden pause in their lightheartedness as a staleness took over in the air between them. She flickered her eyes to his as she dipped her head down a bit, their voices suddenly much quieter, "Are you going to say it or were you waiting for me?"

He scrunched his nose as he looked forward before he side eyed her, "Waitin' fer you." He sparked a cigarette.

"What made you change your mind?" She asked. Shaking her head, she thought about how mad he was when he'd first asked Cassidy to change him, "You were so dead set against it when he brought it up to you."

"Lots has happened since then." He said shortly, "Guess I just got a whole new perspective on it. Seein' 'im lying there like that." Lily nodded, and Cassidy took another swig of his concoction, "Besides-" He exhaled, "Bastard's been begging me t'do it since we got 'ere. Yew know that." Cassidy puffed at his cigarette, "Maybe he'll finally find it in his heart to forgive me. He has a whole bloody lifetime fer it, now." He laughed, "Bound to happen eventually, right?"

Lily nodded again, her eyes stuck on the road down below them. Cassidy noticed her thoughtful eyes, "Wot?" He asked, a little worried she was judging his decision, "Y'think I made a bad decision?" She moved her eyes up to his, "No." Lily stated honestly. She took a breath, "No." She repeated, exhaling as she shook her head slightly, "I'm just thinking how fucking livid Tulip's going to be when she wakes up and realizes Jesse used the Word on her." With a heavy heart Lily shook her head, "Not even a lifetime to find forgiveness could save Jesse's ass now."


	67. Hope You Know

**_THAT NIGHT_**

Lily woke up from the dead of sleep with a terrible feeling. Her eyes opened as she slowly sat up in the small, creaky bed. Like her shadow, Cassidy sat up from the bed beside her, he was entirely naked. That evening, he'd hardly given her a chance between saying goodnight to Jesse and walking into the bedroom before he'd crawled in through the window and stripped naked in front of her.

"Y'hear that?" He asked groggily.

He squeezed her, noticing her heartbeat increasing by the second. She turned to him, grabbing his arm, "I didn't hear anything..." She turned her head to him, feeling a twist in her stomach. Cassidy rubbed his eyes. "Hm." He groaned, standing up and throwing on a shirt from the ground as he jumped quick into his jeans, "Thought I heard something outside."

She threw her legs over to get out of the bed but Cassidy was already in front of her, "Jus' wait 'ere, I'm jus' gonna take a look outside fer my own curiosity's sake." She nodded, her mouth straight as she listened to her gut, "I think I should come with.." Her phone was in her grasp. Cassidy placed his hand on her phone, shutting of the screen, leaving her only to see the faint outline of his silhouette in the dark, "I'm sure it's nothin'." He rasped softly, his tone was relaxed as he rubbed her back and kissed her on the head, "Don't y'worry yer pretty little head over it, alright?"

Regardless of his sweet tone of assurance, she wasn't convinced.

He walked out the room and with a deep breath in, she sat back on the bed, but she couldn't shake the bad feeling she had. After only a few seconds of complete silence, Lily couldn't take it. She threw her legs over the side of the bed and walked out towards the kitchen, coming face to face with Cassidy, who held his finger to his lips, urging her to stay quiet as he grabbed her shoulders and pushed her towards Jesse and Tulips room right behind her.

She didn't say anything out loud, but her face did. It was scrunched and she was reluctant to follow Cassidy's push. When Cassidy opened the bedroom door, Jesse sat up in the bed right away, lowering his brow groggily, "What the-" Before he could finish his sentence, Cassidy hushed him, "We got some company, padre." He whispered very lowly looking from Jesse to Tulip sleeping at his side, then back to Lily, "Th'two of ye stay in 'ere, I'll take a closer look."

Jesse nodded, standing up from the bed and slipping on some pants and throwing on his collared black shirt, leaving it unbuttoned. It was a good thing it was so dark and Jesse couldn't see - because Lily disregarded the fact of how it may have looked to him if he could see the way she was clinging onto Cassidy's forearms as he stood in front of her like her life depended on it. Lily stared at the silhouette of Cassidy in front of her as he pulled away from her grasp and closed the bedroom door behind him.

Jesse walked up to Lily as they stood in front of the closed door. The sound of Tulip's deep breaths as she continued to sleep filled the silence. "First sleep she's had in days." Jesse whispered, trying to justify his action to use Genesis on her. Lily nodded, not looking at her brother as she was trying to listen to anything that happened on the other side of the door while simultaneously ignoring the bullshit her brother was feeding her.

"I know you think you know what I should and shouldn't use Genesis for, but you're _wrong_." He continued to whisper, "Genesis is a part of _me_ for a reason. _I_ know what's right and what's wrong. I can feel it. No one else." Lily breathed in, looking to Jesse in the dark in front of her, "Ya, okay, Jesse. I get it." Lily said, "I understand." She said softly, just not wanting to focus their energy on arguing in this moment. Her gut brewed with a worse feeling each second.

"Good." Jesse said with a short sigh.

They both jolted on spot when the sound of the front door breaking open caught their immediate attention. Jesse and Lily stared at the closed door, while on the other side, shots began firing. Lily reached for the door, but Jesse pulled her back, moving them around the corner of the bedroom.

They listened to the crazy commotion on the other side of the wall, and Cassidy's grunts of fighting whatever he was facing were transitioning into groans of agony.

"We have to get out there-" Lily whispered. Jesse smacked his hand on her forearm, yanking her back into him. "Jess- he need our help." She hissed, clawing at his grasp on her. He held a stern finger to his lips, "He'll be alright." He assured.

Suddenly, the bedroom door opened, and a person dressed as if they were on some sort of black op mission came in with full head to toe gear. As the solider-dressed stranger aimed their gun at Tulip sleeping on the bed, Jesse was quick to disarm and turn the gun on them.

Lily stayed behind Jesse, following him out to the kitchen where there was a large group of more geared up intruders, and they were crowding Cassidy. They'd began ripping him apart very quickly. Jesse was in awe - an entire heavy duty, war-ready group. _There_. For _him_. He was amazed that someone or something wanted him so badly, and they knew where he was.

In the distance, his sisters bellowing voice pulled him out of the moment, "Jesse!" Lily yelled, "Do something!" She yanked on his gun. One of them began reefing Cassidy's intestines out of his open abdomen, and Jesse was quick to get back in touch with the moment and use Genesis to their advantage.

" **All of you. Get away from him**." Lily was relieved to see them all stand up and step away from Cassidy, who groaned in blinding pain on the floor. Lily grabbed the man with a handful of Cassidy's guts in his hand and pushed him to the ground beside Cassidy, who quickly grabbed him and dug his teeth into his arm, easily tearing through the thick army gear before breaking the mans skin.

" **You**." Jesse said, " **Shoot all the rest of your crew in the head.** "

Lily felt her blood run colder each time Jesse used Genesis, ducking to the ground as she avoided any gunfire. Finally, she stood up, facing her brother as Cassidy continued to drain the blood out of any bodies he could around him.

There was one man left - the one Jesse had used the Word to command him to kill everyone, and the Custers were determined to get answers.

Before they could say a word to him, a blur appeared from the hallway, tackling the man to the ground. The two of them jumped in surprise as Jesse held the gun out. "No!" Lily yelled, pushing the gun down, starring at the figure ripping apart the throat of the man underneath them, "It's just Dennis." Lily explained.

" _Denis_!" Lily said, bravely trying to yank him off of the man underneath him.

" **Stop!** " Jesse demanded, but Dennis didn't flinch. He kept ripping at the man, destroying their last hope at any answers to what this entire situation was about. " **STOP**!" Jesse tried louder, joining his sisters efforts to pull him off.

Dennis effortlessly pushed the both of them off his back, throwing them against the wall as he lunged by for his prey on the ground. "He doesn't understand." Jesse groaned, the both of them getting on their feet again. "How do you say 'Stop' in French?"

"Arrete ca!" Lily said quickly. Jesse scrunched his face at her, "What?!" She groaned and raised her brows, repeating louder and only a little slower, "Arrete ca!" Jesse turned to Dennis and tried to regurgitate as quick as he could, " **Arrete ca!** " He demanded.

Thankfully, it worked. Dennis turned and looked at them, he was hunched over and panting heavily. The Custers both felt each other get a bit nervous as they leaned back. Lily grabbed her brother, "Tell him _reculer."_

Dennis' eyes were wide and insane and there was blood pouring down his chin and his face nearly entirely coated in red. Jesse didn't question his sister, " **Reculer**." Dennis stood up and they both noticed a bullet hole through his chest. Reluctantly, Dennis backed up into the hallway as both Lily and Jesse bent over the man on the ground.

 **"Who sent you?"** Jesse used Genesis on the man, who struggled to breathe, the blood squirting out of his neck like a sprinkler, let alone form a word. Lily looked behind them, Dennis stood just feet away in the dark hallway, his breath heavy and the sounds his mouth were making as his insane eyes glued to the man on the ground were unnerving. She felt a shiver go through her.

Lily's attention moved back to her brother at her side, **"Who sent you!?"** He asked again.

But it was no use. They watched the man choke on his last breath, leaving them with no answers.

Lily stared at Cassidy's entire upper body brutally mutilated, his guts spilled all around him across the kitchen floor and all the corpses around him that were nearly drained of all their blood, lots of it pooled on the floor.

Lily slipped on the thick film of blood that covered the kitchen tiles, "Damn it, Cass." She whispered softly to him as she kneeled down to his side, "I _just_ cleaned this kitchen of all your blood a couple of days ago. _Now_ look at it."

Jesse watched Lily leaning over Cassidy. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but he suddenly had an uneasy feeling inside his gut.

"Dennis?" Cassidy asked Lily. There was hardly any part of his skin that wasn't covered in blood from both himself and the many bodies he'd just drained. Lily spotted his sunglasses just above his head on the ground. She grabbed them, doing her best to wipe off any blood from the lenses, "He's fine." Lily slid his frames onto his nose, "He's in his room." Lily took a short breath, "He killed the last of them before we could ask them anything."

Cassidy groaned.

"It's fine." Lily said, "Im pretty sure he got shot by one of them. He needed it." She justified. He nodded feebly before letting out a grunt from the agony he was facing. Her eyes flickered to the gaping hole of his abdomen. It had stopped bleeding and clotted in a disgusting manner, but at least it was clotted. "We'll wrap you up." She said, trying to think of how to make-shift some bandaging. She turned her head behind her, towards her brother.

"Jesse." She said in a noticeably louder tone, "Can you help me move Cassidy?" Jesse nodded, wondering if the twist in his gut was from the stench of death and gore around them or something more.

* * *

 ** _6 HOURS LATER_**

"Sorry." Lily said as she helped Cassidy sit up on the bed he'd been laying on. He groaned, his voice clenched, "Not yer fault." It had been several hours since the ambush had taken place and the sun was beginning to rise as it dimly light the room.

Jesse had been fixed on using Genesis to get the local law enforcement to practically be enslaved to him as they clean up the issue of corpses in the kitchen along with supplying adequate look out for the time being.

Lily unraveled a big package of gauze and tensor bandaging, "Luckily, Jesse was able to get all those police officers to pick us up all this medical supplies." She began slid her arms under his and began cutting the make-shift linen bandaging she'd placed around him to keep his insides in as he healed.

He was still incredibly raw, he leaned back in efforts to not have anything loose fall out of his abdomen. "I'm almost out o'medicine." Cassidy pointed out. Lily threw the spoiled fabric bandaging in a trash can she'd dragged beside the bed, "I know. Jesse got the medics to bring some more bags into the freezer." She wrapped her arms around him back and forth as she began wrapping the bandaging around his stomach. He nodded, relieved.

Her face was practically touching his, and he felt especially self conscious of how much of a mess the inside of his mouth was. Between the amount of blood he'd been drinking and the pieces of flesh caught between his teeth, his breath probably would've knocked her out if he opened his mouth - so he kept it shut. "And," She said lowly, "I got him to use his almighty power to get some _other_ medicine for you, too." She continued moving her arms around him and he simply arched a brow at her as she stayed quiet while she finished wrapping him up.

Finally, she leaned away and bent over the side of the bed, "Like, real, _normal_ medicine." She grabbed a few big, orange bottles of heavy prescription pills as she tossed them to him. His face lit up like a kid in a candy store and he cackled before moving his eyes back up to hers. She sat on the bed beside him, leaning on her arm that rested on the bed as her head tilted. He sighed dreamily, "If I hadn't jus' been suckin' blood back fer the past many hours, n'if I didn't 'ave bits o'skin stuck between my teeth, I'd _kiss_ you right now, I hope you know."

Her eyes had dark circles under them. They were soft as she smiled, "That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me." They were relieved to see each other laugh, regardless of the circumstances. She took a sharp breath in and sat back up, "Speaking of which. You're going to need more of that. I"ll go heat up some more." As she got up from the bed, he'd grabbed her arm. His touch was so hot it almost burned, "What?" She asked.

"Thank you." Cassidy said. She looked at him. It was stale and silent for a moment, before her brow narrowed as she softly shook her head, "You're the one who heard something. Who woke up. Who investigated it. Who got _ripped apart_ like a damn pinata." He chuckled feebly. With stern eyes she pointed her head down at him, grasping his arm back, "Don't you think the fact _you're_ the one saying thank you right now is just a _little_ bit fucked up?"

She pulled away from him, walking out of the room.

Cassidy knew that was her version of a thank you, and he took it.


	68. Sympathy

"Morning." Tulip said shortly. Lily looked up at her as she stirred the frosty blood in the pot on the kitchen stove, "Tulip-" Tulip shook her head at the mess in the kitchen. There were no more bodies laying around, but there was still a lot of mess that was stuck on the floors and walls. It reeked. Tulip crossed her arms, her eyes scanning the area, "Looks like I missed a lot while I was out." Her eyes landed on Lily's and they burned like fire.

Lily turned her body away from the stove and towards Tulip, "He used _Genesis_ on you-" Lily began defending, "What was I suppose to do?" She raised her shoulders, "There was nothing I _could_ do-" "Oh, really?" Tulip dragged. Lily raised her brows at Tulip, prepared to defend herself to the end, but they were interrupted prematurely into their confrontation when Jesse walked through the front door. He immediately noticed their eyes on him and the room dead silent. He held a radio in his hand, speaking into it as he closed the front door behind them.

Looking at Tulip, he took a quick breath, "Mornin'." He said. She blinked up at him, "Mornin'." She repeated back halfheartedly. Jesse turned to Lily, "Mind bringing out another handgun from your stash?" Lily noticed Tulip begin walking away, but kept her eyes on her brothers, "This one's jammed up." He slammed it on the counter beside them. "Yea." She said, stirring the pot of blood, "Sure." Lily said.

Tulip went back to the bedroom, closing the door behind herself. Frustrated, Lily snagged the gun, "It's not jammed-" She stated, pulling at it a few ways, "You're just an idiot." She insisted, mostly vocalizing how she felt about his move to use Genesis on Tulip.

It wasn't long until Lily noticed how jammed up the gun really was while her brother watched her struggle with it. She exhaled, giving up. He raised his brows at her and she shrugged, "Guess we're _both_ idiots." She said, feeling that way, anyway. The cold shoulder Tulip had just given her had proven she'd categorized her as much of an ass as her brother, and she didn't have much of a chance to defend herself.

Before Lily could go after Tulip, Dennis came around the corner as a distraction. There was a chipper skip in his step, almost as if he was dancing as he walked. It was more than obvious he was a new man completely. First of all, he was smiling, which was a weird sight on it's own, and his tone of voice had a new melody to it.

"Here." Lily said to Dennis, passing him the pot of heated up blood and a mug from the cupboard. "Ah!" Dennis raised his brows, smiling as his cheeks glowed with perfection, "Thank you." Dennis said in English. Lily raised her brows at him. She blinked, shaking her head slightly, "You're welcome." She said quietly. Jesse studied Dennis until he walked by them.

"You knew about him?" Jesse asked, but Lily could tell it was more of a statement, "I noticed you didn't seem to surprised to see him jump at that guy's throat the way he did." Jesse noted. Lily turned off the open flame that was still blaring on the stove, "Ya, because I knew the _second_ Cassidy was heating up that blood yesterday morning something was up - but you were too busy scolding us on how serious God being missing was." She walked to the sink and began wetting some more face cloths.

"Did Cassidy tell you he was planning on doing that?" Jesse asked, ignoring her criticism. "What?" Lily asked, her hands busy in the sink, "No." She shook her head, "I mean, I didn't know for sure, but it seemed pretty obvious, Jesse, if you would just have paid attention to what Cassidy was saying yesterday morning."

"Hm." Jesse said, raising his chin a bit. He felt his gut turn more, remembering the feeling he got the night before when he'd seen his sister leaning over Cassidy's mutilated body, and the strange tone of her voice. The only sound was the tap running into the sink, when Jesse decided to follow his instinct, "You and Cass-" His words cut off, as he wasn't sure how to put his gut feeling into words just yet.

With her back still to him, Lily couldn't refrain from the reflex of straightening her back as she continued to keep her hands busy with the cloths in the sink, "Me and Cass, what?" She asked nonchalantly. Jesse shook his head, leaning against the counter not far behind her and crossing his arms as his mind raced, "Just the way you were lookin' at him when he was layin' on the floor here in the kitchen." He explained.

Lily hit off the running water and turned towards her brother. She arched a brow and moved her head, " _Looking_ at him?" She asked, narrowing her eyes, "What's that suppose to mean?" Jesse took a breath and his eyes wandered to the ceiling for a moment, "There was just this... this look you were giving him." He stated, his eyes falling back to his sisters, "That's all I'm sayin'."

She turned her entire body away from the sink, facing her brother completely now. Lily let silence fill the room before she let out a soft chuckle, "Jesse..." She smiled and flashed her soft eyes at him as she grabbed the stack of dampened cloths. Walking up to him to close the distance, her voice was so soft she was almost whispering, "His _guts_ were reefed out of him and spread all over the place like a tissue box being emptied." Jesse's eyes burned into Lily's, doing his best to read how honest she was being, "Excuse me for having some sympathy for the man." She sighed.

He stared in her eyes and, suddenly, all of the tension vanished. Just like that, the terrible feeling inside Jesse was gone, realizing how insane it was to imagine his sister have anything more than what he knew to do with Cassidy. He supposed he was still on edge from the ambush.

"Sympathy." He chuckled, " _That's_ what it was." He nodded, raising his brow, "Just not normally a characteristic of yours." He teased, "Guess it just caught me off guard seein' you like that."

Lily smirked, "Asshole." She hissed, her arms full of the cloths she'd just spent the time to dampen. She tilted her head towards the hallway, "Come on." She said, "We owe Cassidy a thank you."

As they walked into the room, Dennis was just on his way out, his mouth not far from the nearly empty pot of blood in his hands as he let out a disturbing chuckle with his mouth coated in the red, thickness of blood.

From the bed, Cassidy watched the Custers pass Dennis the same wide eyed glance as Dennis shuffled by them, making his way to leave the room.

" _I filled him up._ " Dennis said in French to Lily with a proud smile. His entire mouth was stained red. She looked into his eyes, they were wild and crazy and there was no doubt a spark ignited in him that had changed his being completely - not that that was saying much considering he was practically a corpse just before, so any sign of life would've meant something.

She raised her brow, smiling politely, "Great." She said in English, watching as he left the room.

"Hey Cass." Jesse said, his eyes moving to Cassidy laid back on the bed. His entire upper body was still wrapped. "Hey." Cassidy grunted, doing his best to sit up a bit.

Lily sat herself on the bed at Cassidy's side and passed him some more dampened towels, "Thanks." He said, placing them around his exposed areas. Suddenly more aware of how she was staring at him, Lily kept her eyes away from his.

"How ya doin', Cass?" Jesse asked, sitting beside his sister at Cassidy's side. "Oh." Cassidy groaned, "Y'know. Jus' peachy." He was relieved to see the Custers both smile at his humor, even if it was halfhearted. There was a brief moment of silence that filled the room before Jesse broke it, "Why didn't you say anything about Dennis?" He asked softly. Cassidy's eyes stayed glued to Jesse's, trying to read his motive, "Would you have been cool about it?"

"Yea," Jesse said, "Of course." Lily flickered her eyes from her brothers to Cassidy as she simply nodded. Cassidy nodded, his lips flattening into a polite smile, "Well, maybe next time, then." Lily and Jesse had the same look in their eyes as they nodded at him. Lily took a sharp breath, her eyes on her brother suddenly, "Cassidy, we owe you a thank you."

Jesse nodded, "Yea." He agreed, "Thank you, Cass."

Cassidy nodded, trying to make it seem like Jesse's recognition wasn't as meaningful to him as it really was. He cleared his throat, "Oh, don't." He insisted, "We're all takin' care of each other 'ere, it seems, doesn't it?" He stated. They nodded, and Jesse's eyes began catching Lily's belongings scattered around the room, "For my sister to just give up her space like this - it has to mean she feels really awful for you." He nudged his sister at his side. Lily smiled, rolling her eyes, "Why do you always have to make me out to be such a miserable bitch?" She groaned.

The sound of their soft laughter was a relief to all three of them, until suddenly, Jesse's studious eyes moved past Cassidy and to the bed frame above his head as his brow scrunched. Cassidy's smile faded a bit, wondering what Jesse was looking at him like that for, "Wot?" Cassidy asked.

"The bed frame-" Jesse noted, "It's all fucked." Lily's smile straightened out a bit as her eyes flickered to the metal bed frame headboard that had been completely crushed from Cassidy's grasp many nights ago. Sudden memory flashes of Cassidy on top of her played through the both of their heads. "Oh, yea." Cassidy noted, doing his best to crank his neck around to stare at it, "So it is." He sipped his blood from his mug and his eyes flashed at Lily. He spoke into his mug, "Wonder what happened there."

Lily felt her cheeks go a bit hot and she prayed it wasn't showing. Cassidy placed his mug down on the bedside table, and Lily was thankful he changed the subject, "You look exhausted." Cassidy said, "The both of you." He grunted as he adjusted himself sitting up more, "I can move over t'the couch so yew can rest, Lily." He stated.

"No." Lily insisted, "I couldn't close my eyes if I wanted to." She admitted. As tired as she was, they were still under obvious threat.

"I set 20 cops around the perimeter - no one's getting in without us knowing." Jesse assured. Lily huffed, "Yea right. And are _you_ going to sleep?" She countered. Her brother's mouth went crooked - of course he wasn't going to. Lily moved her eyes away from him, "Exactly."

Cassidy spoke up again, "When d'ye think they'll be back?" Jesse inhaled, "Soon." He stared from his hands up to Cassidy again, "They want me pretty bad." Lily's eyes narrowed at her brother as he continued, "I'm bankin' on them comin' back tonight." Jesse stated, still looking at Cassidy, "Will you be OK to fight?" Lily's eyes moved from her brother to Cassidy.

"I drained quite a few of those bastards," He stated, sipping from the cup, "But I still gotta ways t'go." He placed his cup down and lifted the bed sheet covering him, "Missin' my liver, n'most of my intestines still." He chuckled feebly. Lily's mouth flattened as she refrained from looking at the gruesome sight of his abdomen. "As long as I keep on me meds-" He grabbed his cup of blood again, "I'll do my best, alright?"

"Good." Jesse said, getting up from the bed.

"Jesse." Lily said, following him as he stood up, "What do you mean they want _you_ pretty bad?" His eyes searched hers, "What are you gettin' at?" She shook her head, "How do we know it wasn't Beneke?"

It had been a no-brainer to Lily that if anyone had a reason to have so many people sent for them it was her - she did a lot of damage to the company she'd worked for the past couple of years. She'd burned them, literally, so it was only common sense they were out to burn her back.

Jesse's brow raised, "You think this is about _you_?" His tone was almost as if he was a bit offended.

She shook her head and mirrored him, raising her brows back, "And you're just... _assuming_ that is whole thing is about you?" Cassidy watched the two of them standing in front of one another as the tension practically became visible. Lily continued, "In case you've forgotten, you're not the _only_ one here with a reason to have a target on your back.'" Her arms were crossed, "In fact, I'm pretty sure we all have our reasons."

Jesse's hands moved to his hips, "C'mon, Lily." He scrunched his face, "It's obvious they were sent for me." Jesse stated, "It's just like that lounge singer said - _Men in White_." He insisted. Lily smiled as she scoffed, "White, black, yellow - who fucking cares what color they were wearing. That could _easily_ be just a coincidence." Jesse shook his head, "I'm telling you, Lily." He assured, leaning closer to her, "They're here for _me_. For Genesis."

Searching her brothers eyes, Lily decided arguing aimlessly wasn't getting anywhere, and she was too exhausted to argue in circles. She nodded, realizing the conversation of who this was about was pointless and, furthermore, she was not in the mood for another 'this is God' lecture - which is where it always ended up with Jesse.

Lily exhaled, "You need to go talk to Tulip." She stated bitterly, walking past him into the kitchen. Cassidy watched Jesse shift his eyes at him before he pulled them away and walked to the bedroom Tulip was in.

It wasn't more than a minute later that Lily marched back into the room Cassidy was in.

He realized how little Lily surprising him anymore when she walked into the room with a large assault rifle in hand and he didn't flinch at the sight. He put his coffee mug of blood down on the bedside table, "Wot are y'doin'?" Cassidy asked calmly from the comfort of the bed, watching as Lily walked across the room. Her brow was low and her face was flat. The dark circles under her eyes made her look much older, "Proving Jesse wrong." She stated as she quickly began taking apart each piece of the gun and laying them flat on the ground. "Well wot else is new?" Cassidy stated playfully from the back of the room, to which she ignored.

When she was done, she walked towards the bed, towards Cassidy and reefed out a large bag from underneath the frame. Her eyes scanned the large bag full of assorted firearms until the one she wanted caught her eye.

She lifted out another assault rifle, doing the same as she just did to the last. She laid each piece out on the ground beside the one that was already dissected. Curious, Cassidy did his best to lean up and peak his eyes over the bed frame to glance at the floor, but he couldn't see much.

Just having her in the room made matters so much better. For starters, the area was smelling more and more like death the longer he spent in the bed. He was sad to notice the smell of her had quickly vanished from the sheets not long after his mutilated body tainted it.

Finally, Lily stood upright and stepped backwards until she was pressed against the foot of the bed frame. Staring at the floor, she saw the perfectly placed pieces of the dismembered gun from the 'men in white', and another dismembered gun stolen from the Beneke stash, sitting in perfect piece-for-piece, mirror image of each other.


	69. Cabin Fever

**3 DAYS LATER**

"Jesse, _please_." Lily groaned, "We've been stuck in this apartment for _days_."

 **"Bring up some more beer."** Jesse commanded into the radio that had seemed to be stuck to his hand, seemingly ignoring his sister. The sound of muffled music coming from down the hallway of the apartment in Dennis' room seemed to be a constant at all hours.

Jesse had made sure all of them didn't separate or leave even the front door of the apartment for the past 3 days, and you'd be fucked if you think he would let them go thirsty in that time.

He may have been comfortable, but for Lily, it wasn't long before cabin fever took over - and she felt like she alone in that fact.

Jesse had been determined that it was the right idea, sitting watch at every window at each hours of the day, waiting for 'them' (whoever _them_ was still being a debate between the two of them) to come back at any second.

Cassidy had been focusing on healing himself back to good health. If he wasn't nearly in a drug coma on the living room couch, he was in Dennis' room doing Lord knows what. By the time night time rolled around, he was always completely out of touch with the world he was so fucked up. One time she couldn't wake him and had to prick his finger herself to get her daily dose of his blood.

Dennis had seemed entirely content in his room, blasting music and embracing the new aspect of live he now had.

Most concerning of all was Tulip, who was not just entirely submissive to Jesse's plan - she didn't say much at all about anything. She had no bite in her, no drive, and it worried Lily immensely.

All in all, however, Lily seemed to be the only one to beginning to get stir crazy only seeing the four walls of the apartment the past few days, and she was finally doing something about it.

"Just grab another glass of wine and sit." Jesse assured his sister, adjusting himself in the seat in front of the window in the kitchen, "They're comin' back," He said definitely, "We just gotta wait." Lily's shoulders dropped, "Since when do _we_ just sit and wait?" Walking up to her brother she grabbed his arm, squeezing it convincingly, "Let's _go_ and _find_ whoever's out there."

In the corner of her eye, Lily noticed Tulip's stare. She was looking right at them, and normally, she'd be in Jesse's face too in a circumstance like this one. But instead, she sat on the other end of the table, and although her eyes were on the two of them, it was like her glance was going right through them - spaced out.

Lily turned her head to Tulip, her heart sinking a bit at how helpless she felt for her, not knowing what to do to better her situation.

There was no doubt Tulip was still emotionally scarred from her encounter with the Saint, and it was hard to figure out what to do to help. It had been a few days since the ambush, and Tulip hadn't looked like she slept a wink since that night Jesse had forced her to.

Jesse thought he'd done something good for her when he'd used Genesis to make her sleep that night, but it had only made matters worse. That slumber for her had been everything other than peaceful. When she had woke up that next morning to discover the mess from the attack in the apartment, she felt more exhausted. She felt like her chest had collapsed into her it was so tight, and she felt like when she finally found it in her to take a breath that it had been the first time she'd breathed in years.

She couldn't close her eyes without seeing the petrifying image of the Saint haunting her.

In her distraught state, the day after the ambush, Tulip had ended up shooting a cleaner they'd hired to fix the terrible mess of the apartment, thinking he was one of them. She had a severe case of anxiety combined with trigger finger and it was hard to say whether taking the gun away from her would make matters worse, so they decided to let her keep it.

The second day of being shacked up in the apartment, Tulip had felt no better emotionally. She couldn't close her eyes. Even the bullet hole from the Saint that had been in the back of the fridge had made her blood run cold. She couldn't handle going in for a beer only to be emotionally shook with unavoidable PTSD that now controlled her.

She did what she had to do to try and avoid the feeling. She had Jesse use Genesis to bring a company come in to replace the fridge in the apartment. Although the bullet hole through the wall would be covered with the new fridge, it wasn't enough in her subconscious. She began patching the hole through the walls, realizing it had gone through every apartment on the floor.

The music from Dennis' room pulled Lily out of her train of thought. The speakers in his room were blasting full force now, shaking the walls as a couple of picture frames vibrated so much, they fell off the wall and onto the floor. "We're losing our minds here!" Lily began practically yelling, with no choice, since the music was too loud not to.

There was a knock at the front door, and Jesse did his best to only shoot his sister a side glare as he walked towards the door as she followed him in her fury, "What if whoever sent those people are just hoping we sit and do nothing?!"

Jesse ignored her, letting a police officer in, who carried two large cases of beer and began stocking the fridge for them. "There's a couple downstairs who are requesting permission to leave." The officer said to Jesse. "Well, are they residences here?" Jesse asked. The officer shrugged, "Not sure."

Thinking a moment, Jesse nodded, "Just **make sure they live here. And search them when they come in. Report anything suspicious**." Lily shivered as Genesis overpowered even the loudness of the music down the hall. The officer nodded, closing the fridge as Lily continued, "What if they're planning something bigger - _much_ bigger than we can handle?" Jesse nodded at the police officer, watching him leave and closing the door behind him as Lily kept on it, "I mean, they know that we handled their fleet of army men, so they can only be preparing something far worse-" "Lily!" Jesse yelled sternly, "Just-" His face got a little red as he did his best to refrain from blowing up.

"Yea, Yea!" Lily yelled back rolling her eyes, her hand moving in a fast blur by the counter as she yanked a wine bottle, "Shut the fuck up, have a drink, and sit down! I know!" She hollered, "I _know_!" She turned and began storming towards the hallway. As she marched by Tulip, she hardly flinched or noticed Lily's furious state. Lily was B-lining it towards her room she'd reclaimed since Cassidy had moved to the couch after the first day of occupying the bed.

As she walked by Dennis' room, her chest shook from the volume of the music. She stopped in her tracks and groaned, slamming her fist against the door, "Damn it, Dennis! Turn it the fuck down!" The volume didn't budge, and she groaned louder, "Eteignez-le, Denis! J'en ai ral le cul!" With no response and her blood boiling, she opened the door.

In front of her eyes, in back of the room by the window, was Cassidy, sitting on a chair beside Dennis' bed. Beside Cassidy, sitting on the armrest of the chair with her arm around the back of him, was a woman who was without a doubt a prostitute.

Dennis had made himself comfortable laying on the bed with _another_ girl, who was full on straddling him.

Lily was suddenly much more grateful for the wine bottle in her hand.


	70. Deal

Cassidy caught Lily's eyes and his grin at the hooker straddling Dennis on the bed quickly faded, "Oh," He was flustered, "This isn't wot it looks like!-" He yelled loud over the music as he jumped to his feet. He was still bandaged his entire top half, leaving him shirtless for convenience sake.

He rushed towards the doorway Lily stood at as he adjusted his shades on his face, "I mean it _is_ what it looks like, but, I have _nothin_ ' t'do with it." He hollered. Lily moved her eyes from Dennis to Cassidy at her side, "Well," Cassidy backtracked, "I suppose I _do_ have somethin' t'do wit it if I'm in the middle o'it right now. I mean, I organized the situation but.. I won't be-" He waved his hand at the hooker straddling Dennis on the bed, "partakin' in any of the... _events_ tonight." He nodded at Lily, "It's jus' fer Dennis."

Lily's brow scrunched at Cassidy, "How'd you manage to get these girls up here without Jesse knowing?" She yelled. Cassidy's brow scrunched as well, his head shaking, "Jess knows."

Raising her chin, Lily nodded softly.

She turned her head to Dennis, walking to the foot board of the bed, with a clear shot up the butt hole of the girl that straddled him, _"Suddenly Cassidy bringing back hookers is a good thing_?" She yelled to him in French, " _Feels like just yesterday you were cursing him for doing that."_

Dennis laughed, his eyes wild as he spoke back to her and the phone sitting beside him on the bed had picked up the French automatically to translate their discussion. Lily could just barely hear it over the music, but Cassidy could hear it just fine.

" _That was before I had the stamina I have now_!" He spanked the girl on top of him and she howled, " _The door's unlocked for a reason. Come join - you can find out exactly how much of my father I inherited_!" He cackled.

Lily turned away from him while simultaneously drinking the wine in her hand directly from the bottle, "Oh my God." She said with the neck of the bottle in her mouth, walking towards the doorway again. She cringed double as she had to hear it faintly again, through the monotone translation of the phone at his side. Lily caught Cassidy's eyes, the malicious grin spread across his mouth and he cackled as he shook his head at Dennis.

Taking a breath in, Lily's brows raised as she looked at Cassidy, stifling the urge to vomit as she held her hands out as she turned to the door, a shiver of disgust moving through her body at the thought of being in the middle of the situation any longer.

"Wait!" Cassidy lunged out after her, but she closed the door in his face. He quickly opened it again, hearing her talking to her brother in the living room. "Beer and hookers." She stated, "The necessity of what we need while we're held hostage up here." "We're _not_ being held hostage. Stop being so dramatic and twistin' the situation." He scoffed, "And the hookers were _not_ my idea." Jesse defended, " _And_ I got you your wine so don't act like you're the only one without somethin'." Lily laughed mockingly, "Ha!" She spat, "You're right. Lucky me." She shook the bottle in her hand, "I'm going to drink myself to sleep!" She declared, "Leave me alone."

Jesse brought his beer bottle to his mouth, his eyes staring out the window and his brow raised as he moved his head to the side, "Don't need to tell me twice." He groaned at her. Lily stomped towards her bedroom and in her march of frustration didn't notice Cassidy staring at her from down the hallway as she slammed the bedroom door behind her.

Quickly, Cassidy went back into Dennis' room. Dennis was too busy to notice his father in the room in his distraction of the two women who were each performing multiple sexual pleasures on him at once - and it was too impressive for Cassidy not to study for a moment. He straightened his mouth and nodded his crooked head, realizing that after all this time, he still could learn something new each day.

He shook his head, leaping out the window and shimmying over to Lily's bedroom window instead. As he fell into the room, he was especially relieved that the room smelt like her again and not his decaying body anymore. He groaned as he began lifting himself up. Lily had walked up to him and helped him with her one arm, as the other was focusing on the wine bottle in her mouth.

When Cassidy got on his feet she moved the bottle from her mouth. Her eyes were glued onto his as she shook her head, "This is the only bottle of wine I have - and I'm not in the sharing mood." She warned. He cackled. Even though the music was loud enough to cover their voices, they still made a conscious effort to keep their voices low. "I'm on a good buzz right now from an oxy n'fentanyl cocktail I mixed up not long ago." He grinned.

With her brows raised she nodded, drinking from her bottle again. She watched as Cassidy began unwrapped the bandaging around his upper body, revealing himself to be almost completely healed. "Don't think I need these any more." He threw them in the garbage in the corner of the room, helping himself to a shirt from the dresser. "I'd say I'm almost good as new." He claimed.

Lily stood in front of him, watching him throw his shirt on as her arms were crossed at her chest. She caught herself holding her breath. Taking a sharp inhale, she turned from him, walking to the bed, "Well, good thing." She said sarcastically, raising her brow as she waved her bottle, "Cause now you'll be ready to go for that big fight that we're sitting around waiting for." She collapsed onto the bed, careful to keep the bottle upright, "Big waste of time just sitting here not doing anything." She stated at the ceiling.

"Wot's so bad about that?" Cassidy asked as he lowered himself beside her. Lily turned her head and glared at him and he couldn't refrain from chuckling quietly at her attitude. "You're telling me you're not losing your mind being stuck in here?" She asked him.

"I lost my mind a long time ago." He stated. She rolled her eyes at his lack of taking her seriously. He inhaled, "Well," He said, preparing to give her an honest answer, "It's not like I'd been in the shape t'move around all that much the last few days, anyway."

He reached for her wine bottle in her hand as it sat on the bed at their sides. She moved it from him, her brows low as she glared at him again

"C'mon." He tilted his head, "I've got bad dry mouth." He whined, "It's not my fault. One of th'many side effects of opioids - yew know that."

She scoffed, letting go of the bottle as he took a large swig. Sitting up, she stared at him, doing her best to see them past the lenses he wore. She waited for his eyes to be locked to hers before her eyes suddenly flickered to the window, "Let's just go."

Cassidy laughed, "Where is it y'want t'go?" He asked, handing her back the bottle. She leaned closer to him, she grabbed his forearms, "Anywhere." She whispered. Unable to stop smiling, he shook his head softly at her, "Yer jus' losin' it cause someone's tellin' yew wot n'wot not to do." Cassidy stated, "Wot's wit yew n'jumpin' outta windows, anyway?" He mocked.

She rolled her eyes and collapsed backwards onto the bed again, her one arm over her eyes. He knew he was right, and more importantly, he knew that _she_ knew he was right - even though she'd rather die than admit it.

Lily was a control freak, of course she was losing her mind in this situation.

Regardless of the loud music, the moans and screams of the excitement happening next door in Dennis' room were coming through now and then. With her arm over her top half of her face, Lily's mouth went crooked as her stomach turned. What was disturbing to Lily was entertaining to Cassidy, "Poor bastard hasn't got laid in decades, most likely." Cassidy cackled, "Thought I'd do 'im the deed of helpin' 'im out wit that issue."

Lily's arm still covered her eyes, "What a great father you are, Cassidy." She groaned sarcastically, "Too bad all your energy spent focusing on being such a good father has turned you into a serious fucking killjoy." Cassidy was unable to take her seriously as he laughed again. She was acting like a child - a spoiled brat who had been denied the newest toy from the store and was now causing a tantrum over it.

"Yer pissed cause I won't take off wit ye." He stated, leaning closer to her ear, "Why can't yew jus' appreciate the time to jus' sit, relax n'not do anythin'?"

"Not all of us find peace in getting so fucked up that you lose touch of reality." She spat bitterly. Regardless of her intention to hurt him, he wasn't phased at all.

He didn't take her words to offense whatsoever, "Well, have you ever even _tried_ gettin' that stoned - or stoned at _all_ fer that matter?" Cassidy asked, as if she was the concerning one. She slid her arm off her eyes and looked up at him. How was it that her effort to put judgement and shame on him had just triggered him to go off on a lecture of how he felt _she_ was the one in the wrong - to be the one concerned about? She sat up as he continued to ramble.

What was more disturbing was, regardless of his banter about the effects of heroin compared to meth, she couldn't help but feel entirely compelled to him. "Cassidy." She said, interrupting him. "Wot?" He asked. "Shut up." She demanded, throwing her hand on the back of his neck and pulling his lips into hers. Cassidy was careful to move the bottle of wine to the floor to avoid any spillage - wouldn't want to waste.

And as she kissed him, Cassidy's heart skipped a beat - the smell of her blood was more noticeable, and even more concerning was that it was beginning to make his mouth water. He wondered for a moment if the instinct for her blood was coming back, so he decided to press things further to find out.

He grabbed her, lifting her to his lap and encouraging her to wrap herself around him.

It wasn't unbearable and it was before. He wondered if it was just because they hadn't been this close the past few days, or whether it was because slowly, the problem of wanting her blood was returning. "Hey-" He said, pulling away, "You didn't give me any of yer blood while I was out did yew?" "No." She said shortly, pressing her lips to his again as she pulled tighter into him. She didn't know why he'd ask that, and honestly, she couldn't be any less bothered right now. "I'll keep yer mind busy-" Cassidy promised, talking against her lips, "If it means y'won't think about jumpin' out of any windows n'running away." "Deal." She stated shortly.

Seemed like a win-win kind of deal to her.

As the tensity between them got more heated. "Finally," She panted against his lips as she lifted her top off, "You're not too high out of your mind to acknowledge the fact there are _more_ things to be _taken care of_ than your hourly overdose of drugs." She kissed him again.

He flipped her over as they rolled across the bed and she reefed his pants off him. She straddled him and he sat up again gripping her hips and pushing her down on his groin.

" _Finally_ my insides aren't on the verge of spillin' out of my gut anymore." He countered, mocking her tone. She laughed against his lips and pulled off his shirt he'd just put on moments before, "Trust me-" He said pressing his mouth to her ear as he unclipped her bra and threw it across the room, "I would've _taken care of_ this days ago if I wasn't afraid my entire abdomen would burst and my intestines would pour out all over ye." "Mmm-" She moaned against him, "The fact that sentence turns me on just _proves_ how desperate I am right now-" He cackled loudly.

She was convinced that with the amount of sexual tensity build up she was facing, it would take Cassidy just looking at her the wrong way for her to explode.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Lily's blood ran cold as the both of them froze and she turned her head to the door. But it wasn't Jesse - " _Papa_?" Dennis said on the other side, pounding on the door, " _Papa_!"

Lily imagined Jesse watching Denis pounding on her bedroom door and asking for Cassidy.

"He's not in here!" Lily yelled, scrambling off Cassidy and rushing towards her clothing on the floor. " _Yes he is._ " Dennis insisted, " _I can smell him_." Before Lily could scoop any clothing up, the door burst open. Lily yelped, jumping behind the door to cover her nearly naked self and grabbing a shirt laying on the floor. She was relieved to not see Jesse in eyesight of the living room.

Dennis' eyes were on Cassidy as he laid sprawled out on the bed, " _See, I knew it_."

Cassidy stood up from the bed and snagged his phone from the bedside table, ensuring it could translate the situation.

Lily's eyes went wide as she reached her hand out to Dennis and clawed at his neck, pulling him into her room and slamming the door. " _What makes you think you can just walk in here like this_?" She hissed, " _My brother-_ " Dennis cut her off, " _So **you** can just waltz into my bedroom uninvited but when the role's reversed, it's not allowed?... And in my own house?_ " He countered, " _A bit backwards, isn't it_?"

She held the loose shirt over her breasts as it barely covered the front of her while she stared up at him unbelievably. His persona was like a whole new person. This man was nothing like the grumpy, cold shoulder and recluse stranger to the world she new the past several days. This man now had a fire blazing in him and spunk that was hard to handle. She moved the hair off her flushed face and did her best to take a breath through her blood boiling.

She watched Cassidy step up closer to them as she assumed he was going to rightfully put Dennis in his place, but she was entirely wrong.

"Wot's amatter, son?" He asked. Lily's eyes shot to him and her blood boiled over. This was an old man they were talking about, not a little boy. He didn't need to be taken care of - especially not anymore. He needed to be thrown out and told respect their privacy.

Lily felt her blood boil over as she snagged all of Cassidy's loose clothing and threw it at him. She reefed on Dennis, dragging him towards the open window and pushing him out of it. "Wot are y'doin'-" Cassidy asked at her side, his arm full of his clothing.

Her eyes were red and Cassidy was convinced with just the death look he was giving him, he was about to die. She tossed him out the window and he lost all of his clothing in the process as it flew over the ledge. He nearly fell off the roof himself as pushed out the window. Dennis caught Cassidy's arm and helped pull him back up. Cassidy scrambled back up on his feet, standing outside in his underwear, and he found the opportunity to peak his head into the window quickly, "I'm sorr-" But Cassidy was unable to finish his sentence before Lily threw his boots out the window, hitting him in the face as the window slammed shut.

* * *

In her red hot anger, Lily had spent the last half an hour getting dressed and ready to make a break for it on her own. Lily had been an expert third wheel her whole life with her brother and Tulip. Now she had to feel a third wheel to her own boyfriend and his son?

It was her against the world at this point it seemed.

Tulip was giving her the silent treatment as if the way Jesse had treated her was somehow Lily's fault.

Cassidy had decided his son getting laid was more important than making sure his girlfriend got laid.

Jesse was an asshole.

And to make matters worse - she was out of wine.

Nothing seemed to be working out for her under this roof. She needed to get out from under it. She needed a change of environment, some clarity.

Lily was hardly surprised when Cassidy was tapping on the window. He'd given her some time, but it wasn't going to help his case. She ignored his taps against the glass. He kept at it, staring at her through the outside.

He was shocked to see her in a short, black wig with straight bangs. Finally, he cut the cute and calm approach and ripped the window open, breaking it's lock. Lily scoffed, turning to the window as she fiddled with a gun in her hand.

"Wot's wit the hair?" Cassidy asked, crawling into the bedroom in new clothes. She lowered her eyes at him as she grabbed a different gun and began putting it together, "Jesse's letting the neighbors out - pretty positive there's an older Asian woman downstairs with the short black hair I can pass as with this wig."

"So yer sneakin' out in plain sight." Cassidy stated, walking up to her.

She avoided his eyes, "Don't touch me." She warned with gun in hand. He nodded, taking a few more steps towards her, "Wot about our little deal we had?" Lily finally flashed her eyes up to his, the only thing between them "I'm not in the mood anymore." She clicked the last piece of the gun in place.

"Why not?" He challenged.

"Because just like _everything else_ in life-" She loaded the gun in an aggressive manner, "I took care of it myself." Turning her head, her mouth went straight. The words she used were intended to hurt Cassidy, but his face proved otherwise. "That's a pretty image I'll keep in my head fer later-" His words were cut off as he instead grunted at the moment Lily shoved the gun into his chest, "Do me a favor and shoot yourself in the foot for me." She insisted, walking towards the window.

He laughed, tossing the gun onto the bed.

"Hey-" He said. "What!?" She spat, turning to him one last time before she crawled out the window. He closed the distance between them she'd just made, as he looked thoughtfully up to the ceiling, "Y'know... I could be wrong..."

She waited for him to finish his sentence until finally she shook her head, "What?" She hissed impatiently. He smirked, adjusting his sunglasses on his nose, "But I'm _pretty_ sure-" He sang, "That older Asian woman from downstairs yer talkin' about. No-" He stopped and corrected himself, pointing a finger in the air, "I'm in fact quite _positive_ that she has a tall, handsome, Irish man fer a husband." He mused playfully.

Lily lowered her eyes at him in a _are you serious right now?_ , unimpressed fashion - but he waited for her to make the call.

It was quiet, until finally - she sighed, "Let's go, then."


	71. Tattoo

It proved to be fairly easy for Cassidy and Lily to get past the wall of local police security Jesse used Genesis to put up around the perimeter of the apartment building.

When they'd jumped out the window and scaled down the side of the building, they made sure to hit the security wall at an angle where a tree was obstructing Jesse's vision. Lily was caught off guard when the police officer that approached them had Jesse on the radio immediately - causing her to realize that although he may not recognize the back of her head from the window he was looking down at them with the wig on her head - he would without a doubt recognize her voice the second she spoke to the officer.

She choked on her words only a moment before Cassidy took the lead, proving to put on an excellent rendition of the southern American accent as he talked their way out of the situation.

They were now well on their way down several blocks and they'd made sure to explore the opposite part of the city, an area far away from the corner they'd already ventured, and Cassidy seemed to be taking his role he'd just put on a little too seriously, because he was still rambling in the American accent he'd put on to get them past the officers.

It was just the two of them walking down the roads and her scent was getting stronger and stronger to him each second. He'd noticed it hours before in the apartment. He wondered if it was because he was so newly healed and rested that he was just ultra sensitive to it, or whether it was something that was actually worth worrying about.

For good measure, he'd taken a few blood bags from the freezer and tucked them into his waist - in case matters got worse, and unfortunately, they did. As they turned a corner they were surrounded by a massive crowd in the busy streets Cassidy realized just how on edge he was at the same time Lily realized how much better she instantly felt just getting out of the claustrophobic bubble of the apartment.

Cassidy figured he'd might've over done it the past few days with the amount of blood he'd been drinking, but with Jesse putting so much pressure on all of them to be at the ready, he was under the impression he had to be better fast, so he'd indulged in a lot in a very small amount of time. It was proving how it had affected him now, as he was hypersensitive to everyone around them and he hadn't felt that way in a long time.

"It would be nice to have some different food." Lily stated, "I've been sick of the shitty take out Jesse's been having those cops deliver to us every day." She groaned.

"Well that sounds like a great idea." Cassidy sang, still rolling with the American accent. He nudged Lily, "How about first we get ourselves a couple of beverages?" He asked, entirely entertained with himself.

"Okay-" Lily dragged, "Alright, you can stop with the accent now." She insisted, "Freaking me out." Cassidy cackled, easily finding his way easily to the first drink vendor in sight. His eyes caught a bright, tacky souvenier cup. One with a lid and a straw - perfect for hiding the contents of the blood he'd brought. He ordered the cocktail the tacky cup came in and downed it before even paying, proving it to be mostly sugary mix anyway.

As Lily glanced at the crowds of people around them, she was thankful to hear Cassidy's familiar Irish twang return as he began to explain to the bartender behind her, "No, no, I don't want _ten_ shots o'whiskey in _ten_ separate cups, alright? I want _one_ cup. _Ten_ shots." His words were muffled by a smoke he'd sparked between his lips, "Or 'owever many it is that fills that thing." The bartender seemed a bit taken aback, but he did as very clearly instructed. With the bartender busy and Lily distracted, Cassidy pulled out a blood bag from the waist of his pants - and under the bar ledge filled the cup, clipping the lid back on and shouted again to the bartender, "And a glass of red!" He insisted.

He elbowed Lily, handing her the cup of red as he paid the bartender. To his surprise, Lily scrunched her face, "I don't feel like wine." She admitted. Cassidy pulled his head back and scrunched his brow, "No?" She shook her head, her eyes catching his tacky cup, "What's that?" She reached to try, to which he pulled it away from her grasp.

"I don't think you want this-" He admitted. She lowered her eyes, unimpressed, "Why? Laced with meth?" He scrunched his face, "Somethin' like that." He turned to the bartender, adjusting his glasses, "Another one o'these please." He asked.

The bartender wondered if they were ever going to move from their spot up at the bar. Luckily for him, after Lily got her drink, they were on their way.

"So," Cassidy said, "Food." Lily took a deep breath in, sipping from her cup and appreciating all the life and music around her after being in the stale, boring apartment for days. "Want t'go inside somewhere t'eat?" Cassidy yelled over the noisy surroundings. Lily shrugged, "Don't think anywhere decent is going to let us in while you have a drink in each hand." She yelled back, sipping from her straw as she was less hungry the more she drank anyways.

He slammed back the entire glass of whiskey, the cup of blood in his other with a cackle as he turned towards another alcohol street vendor, "Yer fucked if yew think I'll let either of these hands go empty." He cackled grabbing another two glasses of whiskey from the vendor. She laughed, "I know that."

As she was staring up at him, her smile fading a bit as she watched him slamming back yet another cup full of whiskey. Even the bartender had a shocked look on her face. "Jesus, Cass-" She reveled staring at him as he wiped his mouth with his sleeve, "Wot?" Cassidy asked. Lily raised her brows, "It's just, the less than the half an hour we've been out I've seen you drink enough to kill a person - even for _you_." She tugged on him to continue walking, as he slammed some cash on the bar ledge. He chuckled, as she entwined her arm with his, he caught a heavy smell of her that gave him mixed feelings. He brought his tacky cup full of blood up to his mouth and sucked it back, feeding the urge he felt temporarily as they continued walking.

For every sip of blood he drank, it cancelled a lot of the effects of the whiskey. He was struggling to feed his need for alcohol and need for blood while maintaining a buzz - let alone get drunk. He cackled again, "Guess my tolerance built up the past few days of restin'," He played it off, "And me liver is like new. Thing's filterin' it as quick as it's goin' in me, most likely."

She nodded, "Makes sense, I suppose."

After not too long, Cassidy pointed at Lily's drink, "Yew need a refill!" He exclaimed. There was still half a drink left, but Lily didn't have much of a choice before Cassidy had tugged them to the next available bar area. He turned to her with more drinks for the both of them. With a smile, she looked up at him for a split second, before her eyes caught something else.

He noticed her eyes suddenly adjust behind him and the light in her eyes suddenly turn to a streak of shock. Cassidy turned, expecting the worse. His eyes scanned around but he didn't notice anything unusual. He turned back to her, "Wot?" He asked in concern.

She leaned around him, grabbing his arm and pulling him as she pointed at the wall in front of her at a worn out flyer. "That's Jess's tattoo." She reveled, pointing at the graphic of the layered skull, star and horseshoe. Cassidy squinted his eyes, watching her as she stepped away from the wall and looked down the alley, her hand still around his arm as she looked back up to him, a look of anxiousness across her. Jesse's tattoo was something she had only seen a few brief times in her life, making it not something she thought about often. But now, it was in her face, and her curiosity was provoked again.

"So wot's that mean?" He asked, trying to understand her curiosity. "I asked Jesse what this tattoo meant when I was just a kid." She ripped the flyer off the wall, and studied it for answers, "He told me to never ask about it ever again. And I didn't." Stepping closer to Cassidy with the flyer in her hand she breathed in, "The two things he refuses to talk about is our parents, and this tattoo." Cassidy lifted his head and blinked, a thoughtful look on his face. Lily kept her eyes stuck to Cassidy's, "Maybe those two things are the same thing."

* * *

The next hour had turned their venture for food into a search for any information about the flyer Lily had spotted. "Hey," Lily said, pushing her way into another crowd, "Do any of you know about this? Angelville?" She asked, showing them the flyer. The party atmosphere required a lot of patience. Most of the time, no one would even listen to her the other part of the time, people would be trying to get her to dance or pass her something to drink or smoke.

As she was distracted asking strangers for a lead, Cassidy went to another drink vendor, keeping a close eye on Lily as he grabbed her yet another drink while he was finishing sipping on his first blood bag through his straw.

He took her drink and placed it down, "Refill for 'er.." He growled lowly to himself, opening his jacket to reveal the second blood bag. Quickly looking up to see the bartender turn around, he ripped the top of the bag with his teeth and poured the blood to refill his cup, "N'a refill fer me." He grinned at himself, carelessly throwing the empty blood bag into the trash beside him and clipping the lid to his cup back on.

The more frustrated Lily got, the quicker she was pounding drinks back. Eventually, her frustration plateaued and the alcohol caught up, causing her to ease up in both drunkeness and defeat. She'd gone from full blown yelling in peoples faces to now quietly and halfheartedly showing people the flyer, looking to see any response.

"Well," She groveled, drinking the last of her cup, "I give up." Letting out a long breath, she leaned against a bench on the busy road. Cassidy's eyes caught her empty cup, "I'll be right back," He said, patting her back and walking only a few feet away to another drink vendor. Lily zoned out on the flyer in front of her, hoping it would just tell her something, but it was no use. She saw Cassidy walk back in her side vision, sitting beside her and placing another fresh drink between them, at her side.

He put his arm around her, leaning into her so he could hear her better, "Have y'ever thought maybe he told y'not t'look into it fer good reason?" Cassidy asked, sipping from his cup.

She shook her head, not looking away from the paper in front of her, "I don't care." She stated, "I just want to know. I don't know anything about our father... our mother. _Anything_. It's just been me and him, and Tulip, of course." Shaking the flyer in her hand she sighed heavily, "I can't help but think this has something to do with all of it, Cass." Her eyes stayed glued to the paper in her hands and Cassidy put his drink down between them beside hers she hadn't touched, moving his arm around her to pull her into his chest as he used half of himself to hug her.

He stared at the crowded street of shoulder-to-shoulder people in front of them. "Sometimes," He started, "It's better not to know." His mind began to wander about his own situation. He'd made sure his family never knew about what happened to him. They believed he'd died, and it was to protect them from the truth of what he'd become. Who was to say there wasn't something Jesse thought was better kept from his sister?

Cassidy's internal thought was brought to a sudden halt as he heard Lily make an awful noise. He pulled her out of his embrace to look at her, _his_ cup was in her hand. She was bent over, hacking and spitting up. His eyes widened, "Oh, _shite_ -" He groveled, snatching the cup from her hand as she stayed keeled over.

When she had grabbed the cup at her side and sucked the liquid from the straw, she was hit with a surprise. She'd grabbed Cassidy's cup, not knowing what was inside. When the thick liquid hit her mouth, the taste hit the back of her throat with a punch. Her throat closed as the thick liquid coated every area of her mouth, the sourness of the metallic taste burning the entire inside of her mouth.

While she leaned over, her coughs transitioned into gagging. She heaved as she power vomited on the ground in front of them. The group of people standing around turned as they felt the splatter of her puke hit them in the ankles. In unison, the wall of people backed away from the disgusting display, most were too grossed out to watch, the other portion of people were pissed of they had puke splattered on them. Cassidy stood up, grabbing her by the shoulders and pulling her to get her out of the crowded area. "What the **HELL**!?" A girl yelled at her, standing in front of her as Lily closed her eyes, stifling the urge to vomit more. "You puked all over my shoes, _bitch_!" She screamed at Lily over the loud noises of surrounding people and music.

If Lily opened her mouth, she was going to vomit. Luckily, Cassidy was ready and willing to do all the talking, "She's jus' drunk is all. Didn't mean to. I'm sure." He kept pushing Lily on wards, but the girl wasn't having it. She bobbed underneath Cassidy's arm in front of Lily, "Hey! I'm talking to you!" The girl yelled at Lily, who finally raised her head, her eyes watery from puking and the blood splattered down her neck from her choking it up before she had vomited. The girl's face went white at the sight of Lily. "Oh God," She looked at her shoes, "Did... Did you throw up _blood_ on me?" It was like she got even more mad. Lily was trying to put her mind onto anything else, but this girl was making it impossible. As she got lightheaded again, she leaned over, her hands on her knees as she closed her eyes and breathed in deep, trying her best to suppress the urge to vomit again.

"Hey," Cassidy growled really close to the girl, "She jus' got my drink mixed up wit' 'ers is'all." And on cue, Lily puked again. Cassidy flashed his open cup at the girl sticking it in her face, the metallic whiff of blood and the clear sight of it shocked the girl to the core. She looked up at him as it looked like the soul had been sucked out of her, and turned her glance to Lily who was still puking, before looking back to Cassidy, who flashed his teeth with a hiss as he jumped towards her.

The girl screamed and ran off, as Lily pulled herself up, dragging her sleeve over her mouth with a groan. "I know," Cassidy assured, putting his arm around her "The hiss was a bit dramatic." He teased, regardless of her spirit. He was relieved that she was able to scoff at him making light of the moment. He carried most of her weight, "Let's get yew home."


	72. Gotta Be Ready

_All the reviews, including the guest accounts, the past week have been so awesome to see. I'm glad y'all are enjoying this little fic and it encouraged me to update again. :)_

* * *

With ease, Cassidy and Lily got passed the inspection from the police officers guarding the perimeter of the building.

Unfortunately, they couldn't just burst through the front door for risk of Jesse finding out they'd left in the first place - so they had to get in the same way they snuck out. They scaled back up the side of the apartment and crawled back into the window of the bedroom as quietly as possible, glad to hear the noise of Dennis' music still going, even if it was faint.

Lily crawled into the bedroom window as Cassidy made his way into Denis' bedroom window.

With her face green and her stomach tight, Lily shed her coat, shoes and clothes and moved over to her night robe, tying her hair up as she did her best to make it seem like she'd just woken up from dead of sleep. It was the middle of the night, but of course Jesse was more than likely still awake. She was right, as when she opened the creaky bedroom door, she saw him in the corner of the living room sitting on a chair, with radio in hand. She quickly began pacing on tip toes down the hallway towards the bathroom.

"Cass?" Jesse asked from the living room. "It's me." Lily said while she hurried to the washroom, hoping Jesse wouldn't see her face. She was startled by Dennis' door open - it was one of the girls that Cassidy had arranged for him. If Lily wasn't so focused on not getting sick in the middle of the hallway she would have paid more attention to how distraught the girl was as she hurried out the front door. Jesse stood up, his radio going off as one of the police officers asked him about the hooker trying to leave. "Let her go." Jesse said.

Lily ran into the bathroom, locking the door, and approaching the shower as she climbed in. On all fours, she turned the tap on, the shower head spraying the cold water out and hitting her as she immediately began heaving again. No matter how much she puked and heaved she still couldn't get the taste of blood out of her mouth. Even the acid at the bottom of the stomach that came up didn't burn the taste away.

Cassidy had quietly made his way into Dennis' room, grabbing several things he'd planned to bring back over to his and Lily's room. "Yer girls not spend the night?" Cassidy asked. Dennis groaned, not answering him directly, but Cassidy was distracted anyway as he rustled through some of his things.

With their sense of hearing much better than a human's, Dennis and Cassidy heard Lily's heaving through the barrier of music and the shower running in the bathroom. Dennis walked up to Cassidy from the other side of the room, his phone in his hand as it translated for him, _"Nausea? Am I going to be a big brother?"_ He asked. Cassidy's eyes went low, "No." He said bitterly, "N'don't _talk_ like that."

With a malicious cackle, Dennis stared at Cassidy, before taking a big breath in. He stood up from the bed and walked towards Cassidy, suddenly his devilish smirk faded as he got a whiff of all the smells on his father, " _You went out_?" Cassidy's phone translated. Cassidy shifted his eyes, "Just quick." He explained as the phone spat it back out in French, "Lily was gonna lose her mind so we snuck out." There was a thoughtful twinkle in Dennis' eyes that Cassidy didn't catch. He'd scared off the two girls Cassidy had brought and he wasn't ready to wind down yet.

Cassidy ran out to the kitchen, noticing Jesse outside on the patio having a smoke as he rushed back into their bedroom with his arms full of a wide variety of things.

* * *

When Lily walked out of the bathroom she had a towel on her head and another wrapped around her, the toothbrush sticking out of her mouth as she brushed vigorously, and an empty cup tucked in her arm. "Everythin' alright?" Jesse asked approaching from the living room. "Yea! I'm fine." Lily lied, which was easier with her voice being muffled by the toothbrush as she scrubbed, "Just had a dream." She kept walking towards the hallway to get to the privacy of the bedroom, but Jesse placed his hand on her, stopping her in her tracks, "A dream?" He asked.

Lily turned to him, her hand brushing her teeth freezing as her eyes went soft at her brother. She moved her toothbrush from her mouth and brought the empty cup up to her mouth as she quietly spat the foam into the cup, her eyes dragging down to the floor. Jesse thought she'd had a vision. Her voice was soft as she moved her eyes up from the ground to her brother again, "Not that kind of dream." She specified.

Nodding, Jesse smiled before he sighed, "Was hoping maybe you'd have some answers."

"Sorry." She said honestly. Placing a hand on his shoulder she squeezed him, "Goodnight, Jess." "Night." Jesse said, letting her go on her way.

When she walked back into the room, Cassidy was of course waiting.

Her words were muffled, the toothpaste foam gathering in her mouth, but Cassidy got the gist of it, "I have not stopped brushing my teeth-" She moved the toothbrush to the other side of her mouth, "And I can _still_ taste it!" She raised her brows as she scrunched her eyes closed as she paced across the room. Cassidy nodded, watching her spit into the cup that had been tucked in her arm. She froze, her eyes focusing behind Cassidy to the dresser.

On top of it, there was almost a dozen cups lined up. Lily rinsed her mouth with a glass of water on the dresser and spat it into the toothpaste cup, "What's this?" Placing the toothbrush down, she adjusted the towel around her body as it had began falling loose.

"One of these is gonna help." He stated confidently. She stepped beside him, looking at the mystery substances in each glass before looking up at him with an arched brow. Leaning her head back, she pulled off the towel wrapped around it and began brushing her wet hair. She placed the hairbrush down on the dresser and took a quick breath in, grabbing the first cup. It was light orange and as she swirled it around, she was confident it was orange juice. As she slammed it back - she realized her assumption was right. Her stomach was so sensitive, she felt it hit her empty pit inside of her. She shook her head, the taste still surrounding her mouth.

Cassidy handed her the next cup, "Hot sauce." He said. She nodded with twisted lips, not putting much thought into it as she pounded it back. She coughed, her eyes watering as she struggled to catch her breath. Cassidy passed her water and she waited a moment before she thought it was gone, when suddenly, the taste was back. She shook her head at him.

"Ok," He said, passing her another, this one was full of white liquid and from a ways away Lily could smell it was straight vinegar. She groaned, slamming it back and wincing at the burn down her throat and through her intestines, her nose burning as her eyes watered. "So?" Cassidy asked, looking at her. She opened her eyes and furrowed her brow, shaking her head at him as her throat was clenched, suppressing the urge to cough.

"Alright, alright," He rubbed her back, "'Ere." He passed another glass to her, but not before taking a sip this time. Once he brought it to her mouth, she smelt it - whiskey. She huffed, slamming it back. After that, it was tartar sauce, then it was molasses, then horseradish... Finally she'd downed every substance other than the last cup.

As she picked it up she realized immediately what it was. There wasn't much of it, and it smelt rich and silky - it was his blood. Her eyes flickered to his and he shrugged, "Y'need it by now anyway." And just like that, in the midst of her terrible, nauseous episode, it was like she suddenly felt entirely better. Her mouth watered and appetite came back and without hesitating she downed the liquid.

It lasted what felt like forever, but in reality, it was only a few seconds before the awful feeling came back and she collapsed backwards onto the bed. "You OK?" He asked. She shrugged as she laid on her back and stared up at the ceiling fan. She closed her eyes and her face scrunched in discomfort, placing a hand on her stomach as it gurgled loudly.

Sure, the taste of human blood was finally gone from her mouth - but now she had the problem of having a disgusting concoction of all sorts of different liquids sitting in her stomach. It growled again as she rubbed it with her hand that was on it, "Yea. Taste is gone, but my stomach is killing me." She said feebly before she swallowed, turning her head to look at him, "Just... please tell me that blood I accidentally drank was clean." He couldn't help but smile at her - of course that was her main concern. "O'course." He sat on the bed at her side, "It was from a hospital blood bag." He assured.

She nodded, relieved at least it wasn't potentially riddled with disease. With a sniff, she turned her head more towards him, and her eyes were suddenly a little studious. "Wot?" He asked softly. "You didn't get hurt, did you?" She asked. He took a moment, wondering what route he wanted to go. Should he lie and say he was hurt, justifying his need for blood? Or should he be honest and just tell her? His gut told him honesty was the best case, "No." He stated, "Jus' craving it." He admitted boldly, waiting for her reaction.

As if she understood, she nodded, without question - and Cassidy wasn't sure if that made him feel better or worse. In this moment especially, she couldn't be phased, as she was suddenly focused on her gut twisting in discomfort. Groaning, she closed her eyes again, rolling her head away from him to face the ceiling. "I'll go get y'some more water." Cassidy said, patting her leg before standing up. As he stepped out towards the door, she reached out and grabbed his hand, "Wait," She pulled him towards her, "Jesse's in the living room." She warned.

As he stood on the floor beside the bed, her hand gripping his, his heart sank. Feeling as equally hurt as he was annoyed, Cassidy shook his head and raised his voice, "So?" He asked, pulling back from her slightly. Lily scrunched her brow, "Cass-" She whispered. Her pull caused him to fall onto the bed as he held himself over her. "What's it going to look like if he sees you walk out of here?"

Cassidy's brow narrowed as he leaned back from her slightly, "What it's goin' t' _look like-"_ He mocked in an annoyed tone, "-is that I'm taking care of you cos y'don't feel well." He countered, "Wot's so bad about that?"

"There's nothing bad about that." She started, tightening her arms around him and pulling him closer, "I just told Jesse I'm fine, it's the middle of the night, _and_ I'm naked." His eyes moved down, looking at her in her towel, before his eyes moved back to her face in front of him. There was this awful look on her face that wrenched his heart, and the sickly, green tinge to her skin worked to her advantage. Cassidy sighed. Her tactic was pathetic, he knew that, but what was even more pathetic was it worked. Just like that, his envious mood melted away as quickly as it raised. He nodded, smiling, "Right."

Cassidy crawled out the bedroom window _back_ into the window of Dennis' room, with no sight of him as he climbed into the room. He figured Dennis must've stepped to the kitchen or washroom. When Cassidy opened the door from Dennis' room he made a point to leave it open so Jesse would know that was were he came out of. Cassidy caught Jesse's eyes briefly as he walked past the archway that connected the kitchen to the living room. "Hey, Cass." Jesse said, standing up and walking to the kitchen to meet Cassidy. "Hey." Cassidy said, grabbing some bottled water and reaching into a cupboard to grab some pills - looking for anything to help nausea. "Everythin' going alright with Dennis?" Jesse asked. With a smile, Cassidy nodded, "Yea, it is."

"Good." Jesse said back, "Glad to hear it."

"Everythin' goin' alright with keepin' lookout?" Cassidy asked. With a sigh, Jesse nodded thoughtfully, "Yea.." He said halfheartedly, "I know it's been shit for all of us but I just don't want to risk anything." He explained. Cassidy pursed his lips, if only he knew him and Lily just completely disregarded his intentions. "Yea, well, only a matter of time, like you said." Cassidy agreed politely.

Jesse nodded for a moment before he pointed at the few bottles of pills in Cassidy had grabbed in his hand, "Stomach problems?" He asked. Cassidy's eyes moved down to them, nodding as he smirked, "Yea." Jesse's eyes wandered, opening the fridge and pulling out a small bottle of green liquid - ginger ale, "Bought some back when we first got here and Tulip said she wasn't feeling well." He rolled his eyes, "She didn't even touch it, so I _know_ she couldn't have been sick - it's the only thing that ever works for her when she's sick in the stomach."

Cassidy grabbed it from Jesse, staring at the label before looking back up to him.

"Don't know how much use it is on vampires, though." Jesse stated with a smirk. "Hmph." Cassidy chuckled softly, "Thanks, padre." Walking past Cassidy, Jesse placed a hand on his shoulder, "Not much longer now, Cass. We gotta be ready." Nodding at the floor, Cassidy turned to Jesse, "Jess." Cassidy whispered lowly. With a curious look on Jesse's face he turned back to Cassidy.

As he stared into Jesse's eyes, Cassidy wondered what his reaction would be if in this moment he confessed his feelings for Lily. He was tempted to find out, but he had something of bigger priority to figure out first - his thirst for her blood returning. With a sharp breath, Cassidy asked, "Y'think the effect of Genesis ever wears off?"

When they'd first arrived in New Orleans, Jesse had used Genesis on Cassidy to order him to get Lily out of Viktor's house - since it didn't work on her herself. Lily was not prepared to go easily, so in the midst of his efforts of getting her out of there as Genesis' command, Cassidy had accidentally used a little too much force, causing Jesse to specify with the power of Genesis 'not to hurt her'.

Jesse hadn't known how important that single command had been past that night. It'd proven useful then and even after, causing the dilemma of his sick desire to drain the life of her to vanish.

Until recently.

The scent was coming back and hand in hand with that was the temptation. Was it because of the recent need educate and guide Dennis so much through the cravings that his mind had been consumed by it more? Was it because he'd drank enough blood the past few days resting up that he was craving it more himself? Was it because Genesis had an expiry? He wasn't sure why it was exactly.

With a shrug, Jesse thought a moment, "I'm not sure.." He placed his hands on his hips and adjusted himself, "Why?" Cassidy pursed his lips and shook his head, "No reason. Jus' a thought." Cassidy walked past Jesse, "Night." He said, walking into Dennis room, only now coming to realization that he hadn't seen him in the kitchen, living room or washroom.

Cassidy took a deep breath in, noticing Dennis' direct scent weaker by the second. With his shoulders dropping, ginger ale and pills in hand, he stared out the window, "Shite."


	73. Cassidy

"Shite." Cassidy groaned quietly, staring at his phone in his hand while sitting at Lily's side as she laid in bed, "My newly vampire son. Missin'. At night." He whined, dropping his phone from his face as his shoulders sunk, "Lord only knows wot th'Hell he's gettin' into." "Hm." Lily said, taking the pills from him as she began reading the bottles.

"Cass-" She sighed. He brought his head up from his slumped state and looked at her - stress in his face, "Wot?" He asked in concern. She held up all three bottles of pills, " _These_ are vitamin D." She shook the first bottle, " _These_ are laxatives." She stated shaking the second, "And this-" She held up the last as she read the label slowly as she sounded out the word she didn't recognize, "Is silden-a-fil-citr-ate."

"Hm." Cassidy chuckled. Lily shook her head and arched a brow, "What is it?" She asked. Cassidy shrugged, "I dunno," He grinned, grabbing the bottle and looking back at her with a playful streak in his eyes, "Sounds like fun, though, doesn't it?" He tucked them into his pocket for safe keeping. Lily smiled and laughed through her nose halfheartedly, tossing him the bottle of vitamin D, "It's more than likely you'd need these more than anything." "Funny." He said flatly, even though he was smiling. It was impossible not to mirror him and smile back.

Just as she was about to grab her phone to search what drug Cassidy had pocketed, her eyes broke free from his as they caught the large, green bottle in Cassidy's hand that she had figured to be whiskey, but instead she was surprised to notice that it was ginger ale. She gasped, leaning up again and grabbing it from him, "Yes!" Lily celebrated, holding her hands out to grab the bottle from Cassidy.

"Oh yea." He said, as she cracked it open, "Found that in the fridge." He explained, taking full credit.

As she hummed in satisfaction, he smiled as he watched her drink it as the look of instant relief consumed her. With a glow already back in her, he was glad. "Thanks, Cass." She said softly. Unable to resist any longer, he moved himself beside her, wrapping his arm around her as he breathed in deep, smelling her delicious scent. She smelt so good. He squeezed her tight and she hummed in comfort as she practically melted into him, as exhausted as she was.

His mouth began to water the more he inhaled through his nose. With his smile fading, he swallowed the lump in his throat and quickly tried to make conversation to move his mind to anything else , "I'm sorry you didn't find out anythin' wit that flyer." Cassidy said gently. "About your family..." His mind wandered a moment on his own until eventually he noticed her silence. Cassidy took a quick breath, "Why can't yew just ask Jess about it?" Cassidy asked curiously, trying to lean his head to see her face better.

"Hmph." She huffed sleepily, "Tried that once." Sinking into him further, she sighed, "Never again."

Being as stubborn as she was, when Lily wanted something, she got it. The fact she hadn't got this yet put a bad feeling in his stomach, leading him to wonder what Jesse could be either hiding from her, or protecting her from. "Ahh," He sighed, "I'm sure he's got reason."

"Cassidy." Lily stated. "Wot?" He asked. She adjusted herself to turn onto her stomach and look at him face to face, "Cassidy's your last name." He straightened his lips, adjusting his shades on his nose, "Yeh, so?" "So-" She raised her brow, "You must know the meaning of your family name, since you go by it.."

His face was flat and he was already sick of her rhetorical questions setting him up for failure at whatever this argument was about and wherever it was going. Shaking her head slightly and raising her brow more she repeated, "Right?" "Yeh, so?" He said again.

"You'd tell Dennis about it if he asked?" Lily knew the answers to everything she was asking, she was merely trying to put it into perspective for him. Cassidy had never thought of that. Dennis was a Cassidy - surely the topic would come up eventually now that they were growing relationship as father and son, as non traditional as the situation was.

Cassidy swallowed, his voice soft, "O'course."

Contrary to Cassidy's soft moment, Lily rolled her eyes and flopped back down onto his chest, "Then you can't say shit." She insisted, "You don't know what _not_ knowing is like."

"I know lots." He stated, "Hmph." She hummed quietly and he squeezed her, "Maybe yer jus not meant to be a Custer, n'Jess knows that." "Is that some way of insinuating I need a different last name?" She dragged flatly.

"No." He said in a tone that said yes. She scoffed at him, laughing quietly as she took an deep breath, "At least I'd have some fucking knowledge in my name if I took yours.." She sighed pathetically as if it was a worst case scenario, "If that even counts."

" **Wot**?" He scoffed unbelievablywith a chuckle, squeezing her, "Yew know nothing about my name **or** my past for that matter-" He mused, "Yew never even asked me about the slag that changed me into a vampire." She turned herself back to him again, her tone as playful and challenging as his, "Then tell me."

With his head against the metal headboard of the bed, he raised his shoulders and smiled, "I jus did!" Cassidy chuckled, "Something jumped out o'the swamp and bit me and that was it." "That was it?" She repeated, lowering her eyes. "My brother Bill tried shootin' it dead. Probably th'only reason why she didn't eat me whole right there, like."

The spark in Lily flashed brighter, "Your brother?" "Yea. He was there. Saw it happen. Could've been 'im fer Christ Sake." Lily blinked, thinking about it a moment, she adjusted herself to be more comfortable as she continued facing him, "Well what did he do?" Suddenly she was less animated and more calm and curious.

Cassidy's smile stayed on his lips, but his tone and energy changed, "He ran off." Lily waited for him to continue, "Thought I was a dead man. Hmph." He chuckled feebly, "Guess he was right in a way." Lily felt a lump in her throat begin to rise. "So-" She thought a second, "What did- How..." She was confused, "Your family-" "I never told them." He stated.

Lily's playful energy went out like a light as she very suddenly realized how honest this moment was. She was thankful Cassidy spoke, "Once I realized wot had happened to me, I knew it would destroy them. So I let them believe I was dead."

Frozen in spot, Lily took all the facts in. She couldn't help but try to imagine herself in that position with her brother and Tulip. It was a terrible idea to have to make that decision.

"So I guess you **can** say I know a lot about not knowing, then." Cassidy stated.

For the first time in a long time, Lily felt put in her place. All while she also felt her heart break slightly. She'd so selfishly and naively been trying to put perspective into Cassidy when really, she was the one that needed perspective.

"I'm sorry." She said. He shook his head and his spirit was light as he grabbed her and smiled, "Wot th'Hell-" He laughed, "Yew have _nothin_ ' to be sorry about. I've told that story once, I've told it a thousand times-" Cassidy laughed, "I know how it ends-" "No," She interrupted him, "Not for what happened." She clarified, "For not asking about it until now. I'm sorry it took me so long."

His efforts to try and lighten the mood were shattered by her tenderness as his throat tightened, and his lips went flat, "That's alright." He rasped. They stared at each other a moment before she turned herself into him again, laying down and entwining herself into him. Cassidy wasn't sure if she was nestling into him closer or if he was imagining it - but it sure felt like she was.

It was silent for a while after that and their thoughts both trailed off individually. Lily had nearly fallen asleep to her mind racing in different directions when Cassidy shifting caused the creaky little bed to squeak, jolting her awake from her near slumber.

Cassidy's worry for Dennis suddenly consumed his mind, grabbing his phone again and sighing, "I have to go out n'look fer my son." He kissed her head, "N'I'll grab yew some proper meds while I'm out."

"I feel much better, actually." She admitted honestly, "I was just about asleep." "Good." He stated, pulling himself out from her embrace as she held onto his arms. She looked up at him, her eyes sharp, "Don't be long." She requested. "I won't."

He turned to make his way out the window as routine when her voice pulled him back, "Cass?" "Yeh?" Her eyes were closed as he walked to her side again. Yawning, she reached out for his arm and grabbed it, rubbing it softly. Her words were tired as they dragged together, "No more nights out in New Orleans."

Cassidy laughed, bending down and kissing her again as he left his lips on hers as he spoke, "Deal."


	74. Suck On This

Blinding light was all Lily could see. She couldn't breathe, she didn't know where she was. All she felt was the tight grasp around her neck. Slowly, her vision began returning. It was blotchy and distorted, making it hard to make out where she was or what was in front of her. Making out a figure in front of her, it became more and more clear it was Cassidy.

 _No._

She refused to believe it, she tried closing her eyes again but the grip around her only got more tight as she was forced to open her eyes again, letting out a pathetic gasp in attempts to get air into her. It was him, but he looked like a stranger. His hand was clenched around her throat and she was cornered, unable to breathe, "Why ... are you... doing this!?" Lily managed to choke out feebly.

"Yer blood's the problem." He stated simply before lunging at her neck.

The pain was so real it was hard to notice she'd already woken up from the disturbing dream. With a lung-filling gasp, Lily sat up in the bed drenched in cold sweat. She panted, her eyes wide as they struggled to adjust to the shapes in the room. Her heart was racing and she quickly placed her hand to her neck, realizing it was intact and that it had just been an awful nightmare.

She hummed and closed her eyes, her breath gradually calming as she tried to bring herself down from the panic.

All this vampire stuff was getting to her it seemed.

It took a while for her to notice the bed was empty at her side. Throwing out her arm to try and feel for Cassidy, she realized he wasn't there. She panted, still trying to catch up to her breath as she grabbed her phone and squinted at it, trying to adjust her eyes, finally making out "3:37AM". With a groan, she pulled herself up, finding it odd Cassidy hadn't made it back yet. She walked up to the window that was cracked open, the sound of the rain pouring was suddenly muffled as she shut it.

Making sure she was quiet, she opened the bedroom door, which creaked loudly the harder she tried to be silent. She'd tied a robe around her, making her way into the kitchen as she noticed no sign of Cassidy, not even on any of the couches. She texted him:

 **Where are you?  
**

She took another few deep breaths, placing her phone on the counter and opening up the fridge as she snagged a cold bottle of water.

Suddenly, a movement in the corner of her eye made Lily jump. Turning towards it with her heart already pounding, she sighed, realizing it was just Tulip. "Oh, Jesus." Lily whispered breathlessly, grasping her chest, "Scared the shit out of me." She said, drinking her bottle of water.

"Jumpy, much?" Tulip whispered. With a deep breath in, Lily shook her head trying to get the vision of her nightmare out of her brain.

"You can't sleep either?" Tulip asked, walking towards her and leaning against the kitchen table, dark circles under her eyes. Lily cleared her throat, moving the bottle away from her mouth, "I just had a bad dream." She said.

"Hm," Tulip sighed quietly. Lily noticed Tulip's coat was on and so were her shoes. She turned her head, "Were you heading out?" Lily whispered suspiciously. With a deep breath and her eyes looking up to the ceiling, Tulip straightened her lips.

"Tulip!" Lily hissed quietly.

"Sh!" Tulip demanded. Lily was shocked to see a faint spark in her. She wasn't entirely herself - but it was some kind of bite in her at least, "Jesse's _finally_ sleepin'-" Tulip continued with a heavy sigh, "I think I know a way to let the police officers down there let us out.. I'm tired of being stuck in here. Sleeping is worse." They stared at each other with wide eyes. Tulip broke the silence, "Are ya comin' out with me or what?"

Lily's face was a bit guilty. She suddenly felt bad for going out with Cassidy and not thinking twice about Tulip - she'd been so closed and quiet the past few days, it hadn't crossed Lily's mind to invite her on their adventure earlier. Stuttering, Lily blinked, "I don't feel well." She said honestly, her entire body clammy from the cold sweat she'd woke up in.

Before Tulip could respond, the front door practically burst open. They both turned quickly, noticing Cassidy and Dennis staggering in, their arms around each other for support. Still shaken up from her disturbing dream, Lily was on edge at the sight of Cassidy.

That edge went away in mere seconds as she realized how absolutely plastered he was, "Girls!" Cassidy declared loudly, opening his arms. "Shh!" Tulip demanded.

Lily looked Cassidy up and down as he swayed on spot and could hardly open his eyes, his pants were covered in dirt as if he'd fallen down many times and he was missing an entire boot, leaving his socked foot sopping wet. He slipped away from Dennis' arm, using his foot that still had a boot to slam the door shut. Both Lily and Tulip cringed at the loudness, hoping Jesse wouldn't wake, "SH!" Tulip hissed louder. Lily grabbed him, "Jesus, Cass," She whispered, "How the Hell did you get so hammered?"

He hiccuped, slurred something that was impossible to understand and huffed. Lily couldn't help but laugh as she moved him to lean against the counter by the fridge. Cassidy drank every day and he drank a _lot_ , yet she'd never seen him this hammered - it was a bit disturbing the more she thought about it.

Tulip's face scrunched as she pinched her nose, "You guys smell awful." Her nose burned from the strong scent of liquor among other things that wafted off of the two of them, "Seriously, you two could knock out an entire biker gang with your stench alone." She coughed.

Dennis grabbed out his phone and " _Look_!" He said enthusiastically as he showed Lily a video of the both of them in a bar, Lily scrunched her brow, watching Dennis' phone screen - footage of Cassidy upside down over a ledge in a bar as everyone around them burst in a thunderous cheer. Tulip and Lily inched closer to the phone screen, looking at what he was doing, or rather, what he was drinking out of. Lily leaned her head back and raised her brows, "Is that..." "An entire barrel of whiskey?" Tulip finished, watching over her shoulder, "Holy fuck, Cassidy." Tulip reveled.

When they looked up from the phone screen, Cassidy had a bottle he'd found beside the fridge in the air as he tilted his head back a little too far, stumbling backward into the fridge.

Dennis snickered as he began recording Cassidy again. _"Finish the bottle, Dad!"_ Dennis said in French, but Lily's death stare stopped him from having the phone translate it.

"Cass-" Lily hissed, leaped forward and ripped the bottle from the suction of his mouth. "Oi!" Cassidy yelled. " **SH**!" Lily hissed again. Cassidy swiped his hand at the bottle to grab it, and when his hand latched onto it - the whole thing broke. With a gasp, Lily raised her shoulders and froze in disbelief and rage, glass and liquid all over her and the ground. Tulip's eyes widened in surprise at how easily Cassidy had broke the bottle. "Shite." He groaned, nearly tripping over his own feet.

Growling, Lily pushed past him as she opened the freezer and got out a couple bags of blood in efforts to sober the both of them up. "Jesse's _sleeping_." Lily repeated, careful to tip toe around all the glass and whiskey that covered the floor all while she glared at Cassidy - not that he noticed. His eyes were hardly opened as he struggled to stay still, swaying on spot.

Lily slammed a knife against one of the frozen blood bags, ripping the top of it off and deciding it wasn't worth the time of heating it up, "It's a miracle you're not dead after drinking that much." She held out the blood bag up to his face, the top of it cut open as she slid the iced blood cube out of the bag like it was a freezie, "Suck on this." She demanded. Cassidy slowly pulled his head back, his brow narrowing, "Suck on that?" He slurred with a chuckle, "Ow bout suck on _this_!" He grabbed his crotch and both him and Dennis burst into a drunken cackle.

With no tolerance for his crude behavior, Lily stared at him only a moment. It was a stare Tulip knew all too well - the calm before the storm. Entirely composed, but mere seconds from the opposite.

In a blur, Lily shoved the ice block into Cassidy's face, almost smashing in his two front teeth in as he fell to the ground on his face. Dennis looked up from his father on the ground up to Lily, who passed him a blood bag, "You drink yours like a good asshole, now." She said to him in English. With a long face, Dennis took the bag from Lily, murmuring something under his breath.

Lily's face was furious but Tulip was smirking. When Lily caught Tulip's eyes she raised her brow at her, "What?" She hissed, "He's an asshole." Tulip nodded, "Yea," She agreed, smiling wider as she walked at Lily's side and leaned against the counter with her while they stared down at him, "He is." Lily huffed as Cassidy began groaning - his face to the ground ground, slowly rolling himself onto his back. His mouth was covered in blood, mostly his own, from the impact of Lily smashing the giant block of frozen blood in his face.

There was broken glass all stuck in him from the bottle that had shattered in his hand just moments before. "At least he cleaned up most of the mess." Tulip noted.

"As if he needs any more whiskey-" Lily stated, noting all the whiskey his clothes had soaked up from the mess on the ground, "Now it's seeping right into his blood stream." Tulip nodded, looking at all the shards of glass and cuts on him, "Hm." She hummed, "Maybe that was his plan all along." Lily chuckled feebly, glad to have Tulip at her side in this moment. As Cassidy lay on the ground completely wrecked, Lily wondered how this was the same man who could be so intimidating at times - both in reality and in her nightmares. She shivered, trying to shake the awful image of the nightmare she'd just had out of her head and reminding herself that the monster that had scared her to near death was, in this moment, practically a corpse on the floor in front of her.

An eerie feeling took over Lily as she felt Dennis staring at her, so she moved her eyes to his. Even though he didn't say anything, Lily felt the annoyance coming from him.

Was he all pissy that she was a blanket of sunshine on their dysfunctional vampire parade? She didn't care.

Lily was more than alright with confronting Dennis and asking him what his issue was, until her attention was brought back to Cassidy, who began groaning and mumbling nonsense to himself as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a large, orange bottle of pills. Lily sighed, and Tulip scrunched her face, "What is he doing?" Tulip asked, as if she couldn't believe they were watching him open the pill bottle with one hand, "Is he-" "Yea." Lily said, at her side with another deep sigh, "Yea he is."

They watched him begin his efforts to get drugs into him while Dennis recognized the pill bottle from his medicine cabinet Cassidy had raided in search for something to help Lily with earlier.

Lily leaned down and grabbed the blood bag sitting on the ground and stuffed it back in his mouth as she grabbed the bottle of meds. Suddenly, Dennis pointed at it and said something to her in French. Tulip stared from Dennis to Lily, reading her face as it dropped. "What!?" Tulip asked, "What is it?" She watched as Lily held the bottle in her hand and stared back down at Cassidy, quickly placing the bottle back in his hand. In no time, Cassidy instinctively lifted the bottle to his mouth and began slowly using his tongue to shovel the contents into his mouth, several of the pills dropping on the ground around him.

"Nothing that's going to hurt him." Lily said, with a shrug, she looked up at Dennis, smiling sweetly, "But it's going to be a hard morning, isn't it?" She turned to Tulip, "Goodnight. Be safe." Lily sang as she spun around and glided down the hallway smoothly. Tulip stayed still a moment. Lily was all too pleased with herself. Frozen on spot, Tulip let her mind wander curiously a moment before her eyes flickered back down to Cassidy as he continued to down the bottle of pills. Dennis staggered to his bedroom without another word.

She quickly leaned down to the floor, turning her head nearly upside down to read the med bottle label upside down, as it was in Cassidy's mouth. Her face scrunched in confusion and her mouth hung open as she couldn't make sense of it.

Standing back up, she threw her coat on, waltzing out the front door boldly. Quickly, she began putting what she could remember off the bottle label into her phone. Unable to refrain from letting out a loud laugh when she discovered what it was, she took a moment to laugh it out, " _Hard_ morning-" She said aloud to herself as she laughed again before letting out a long sigh, "That's a good one."


	75. The Most Beautiful Thing

Jesse stared at Cassidy sleeping on the couch, half of him hanging off of it and entirely clothed. He was laying on his back and his head was cranked sideways against the armrest, hanging off the edge with dried blood all around his mouth and a pool of it on the floor from what looked like the empty blood bag near his face.

The sound of heels clacking against the floor caused Jesse to turn to see his sister approaching from the hallway, clipping in her earrings, "Morning." Jesse stated. She smiled halfheartedly, "Morning." She said flatly.

Her eyes flickered to Cassidy. Dennis or Jesse must've moved him, because her and Tulip left him on the ground. There was an open umbrella over his lower half, "Do I want to know?" Lily asked her brother.

Jesse shook his head, his face disturbed, "No." He stated, recalling how just moments before he'd walked in on the sight of Cassidy passed out on the couch with a massive erection. Jesse had taken it upon himself to cover the sight with the umbrella, "You don't."

Acting clueless, Lily nodded, as she stared at Cassidy, who looked like a corpse. If it wasn't for his snoring she would've thought he was dead, if that was even possible to begin with. She took a deep breath and turned her attention to her brother, noticing the radio he'd clung onto the past few days all shattered against the floor. "What happened?" Lily asked.

"I called it all off." Jesse said in quiet defeat. He shifted on spot a bit, rubbing his chin slowly, "I was so sure, Lil." The tone of his voice broke her heart a bit, "I was sure they'd be back. Instead, I just trapped us in here for days on end for no good reason, apparently."

"It's alright." Lily said.

"Waste of time." Jesse spat to himself. It was silent, other than Cassidy's snoring, until Lily took a breath in, "Hey-" Jesse looked up at her with disappointment in his eyes.

"I wanna show you something." She said, leading him to her room.

They stared at the dissected guns on the floor, mirrored images of each other, other than their opposite color. "It could just mean the white suits buys their weapon supply off Beneke and special orders them white." Jesse suggested. Lily nodded thoughtfully, "True..." She looked from the guns on the floor to her brother, realizing that he was too consumed in the thought this was all about him to even consider whoever it was out there after them might also have an interest in her.

* * *

When Cassidy woke up, the sun might as well have been hitting him directly, because that's how bad he felt with the hangover he had. He groaned, half of his body hanging off the couch. Still in head to toe clothes, he was in stiff discomfort. To top things off, his shades weren't on his face and it was hard enough to open his eyes to begin with.

His lips were so dry, they were practically sealed shut. When he managed to open his mouth, he felt his lips rip, his mouth so dry it was hard to breathe. After he managed to coat his mouth with what little amount of saliva he could come up with, he noticed how much blood had dried in his mouth - some of it being his own.

With his face scrunched, he winced in pain, lifting a couple fingers to his front teeth to feel them cracked. Guess that's why he tasted his own blood. He ripped the blood bag that was stuck on the side of his face off. It had emptied and not much of it had got into him, as it was mostly all over his face, the couch and the floor.

It took him a while to find it in him, but he raised from the dead and stood up, noticing an umbrella open on him as he pushed it off, not thinking much of it as he had about a thousand other things bothering him. When he got onto his feet, his stance was lopsided since he was missing a boot.

He reached his hand into is pants, feeling an awfully uncomfortable erection as he adjusted it and began staggering towards the kitchen. Feeling his crusty socked foot hit something on the ground, he realized it was his sunglasses. He used everything in him to bend over and grab them from the ground as he slid them onto his face.

Several minutes later, Cassidy was pouring a mug of freshly heated blood as Dennis stumbled in, having smelt the delicious scent from his room. "Hey-" Cassidy croaked, "Good mornin', breakfast is served." Cassidy claimed as his phone translated it aloud for Dennis.

Dennis spoke French, walking up to Cassidy, "I thought we were only suppose to drink when we were hurt." The phone recited back in a mono-tone voice. Cassidy laughed feebly, " _Aren't_ we hurtin', though?" He flashed his teeth, before wincing again, "Jaysis. Wot 'appened?" He groaned, pouring more blood into another mug, "Can't remember the last time I got that plastered. Hardly remember anythin' past that bar we went to. I must've been really outta it t'get sucker punched so badly."

As the phone translated his words into French, Dennis shook his head with a chuckle, turning over his phone and playing the video he took of them in he kitchen just hours before.

Behind the camera Dennis yelled something in French, and Cassidy saw Lily's death stare. Cassidy dipped his head down to see past his shades, taking the phone from Dennis as he stared intently, not remembering a second of what was being played back to him.

"Cass-" Lily hissed on the video, leaping forward and ripping the bottle from the suction of his mouth. "Oi!" Cassidy yelled. "SH!" Lily's quiet voice urged again, "Jesse's _sleeping_."

Cassidy watched himself in the video swaying, struggling to stay standing and his eyes were hardly able to open themselves he was so fucked up.

Lily handed him an open blood bag, still frozen, "Suck on this." She demanded. Cassidy watched himself slowly pull his head back, his brow narrowing, "Suck on _that_?" He slurred with a chuckle, "Ow bout suck on this!" He grabbed his crotch and both him and Dennis burst into a drunken cackle.

As he watched the video, Cassidy lost his breath, "Oh no." His brow furrowed as he groaned, watching the clip continue, "Oh _shite_." He watched the footage playing on Dennis' screen, as Lily slammed the blood cube into his mouth, and suddenly, he realized he hadn't been sucker punched by anyone at the bar - he'd simply gotten what he deserved. "After that-" Dennis started as the phone translated for Cassidy, "You reached into your pockets and grabbed some viagra I guess you'd found of mine earlier. Lily tried to grab it from you but after I told her what it was she put it back in your hands."

Mortified, Cassidy's mouth was suddenly very dry again. Dennis sipped on his blood Cassidy had warmed up, "Not very polite of her." He stated as the phone translated it, but Cassidy didn't notice. He wasn't listening any more, he placed his mug down and rushed towards the bedroom in hopes that she was still around. She wasn't - and in a way, he was thankful. He was in awful shape and doubted she'd want to see him anyway. Reaching into his pocket he found his phone to try and call her, but it was dead.

With a groan, he plugged it into the outlet beside the bed. He hurried to the washroom to try and clean himself up as quickly as he could. Sure he was cleaner on the outside, but he felt rotten on the inside.

He had to pee so badly but it was impossible with his penis as hard as ever, and he had _no_ idea what was going on with that. He'd never downed an entire bottle of erectile aid pills so this was a learning experience for him as he wondered how long it would take for the meds to pass through his body. With his tolerance, he assumed not long, but it wasn't looking like it was easing up any time soon.

When he rushed back out, Dennis had locked himself into his room again and Tulip was comfortable at the breakfast table with cereal, coffee and a newspaper.

"Tulip-" He said a little too desperately, "Have y'seen Lily?" Tulip raised her brow, "Yep." She sipped on a cup of coffee, a newspaper in her hands and cereal poured in front of her. Turning to Cassidy, she couldn't look up to his face before his waist at her eye level caught her attention first. He hadn't picked the best pants to change into - the material was thin. It would've been a better idea to go with a tight denim pair to keep everything in nicer, but they were his first clean pair he'd found and he didn't particularly care too much, anyways.

"Hard mornin'?" Tulip asked, entirely amused with herself. If Lily wasn't there to cash in on that joke, sure as Hell she was.

"Yea.." Cassidy wasn't entertained, "Do you know where Lily is?" He asked standing beside her.

Tulip scrunched her face, putting her coffee mug down and glaring at his crotch, "Wanna sit _down_ and get that thing out of my face before Jesse walks in and sees your hard on pretty much _staring_ at me and throws you out the damn window?"

"I can't." He whined, "I'm afraid if I try my dick's going to snap in half." Giving it another try to sit down, it proved to still be too painful. He winced, standing back upright and grabbing the box of Boo-Berry cereal from the table and pressing it against his crotch. He sighed, shaking his head down at it, "I don't know wot's goin' on wit that." Cassidy groaned pitifully, "Nothin' personal." He justified. Tulip moved her eyes back to the newspaper in her hands. If he wasn't making a big deal about it, then neither would she, "Alright."

It was silent other than the sound of Tulip crunching on her mouthful of cereal. "So?" Cassidy asked. "So, what?" Tulip asked. With a huff of frustration Cassidy shifted on spot, "Have you seen Lily this mornin'?" He asked.

"Yep." Tulip said, scooping another mouthful of cereal into her bowl, "More please." She asked, pointing at the box Cassidy was using to cover the visual of his hard on. He reached the box out and dumped a bunch into her bowl before moving it back in front of him on the table, "D'ya know where she _is_?" He asked, a bit agitated.

Shrugging with her eyes on the newspaper, Tulip swallowed her mouthful of cereal, "No clue." She grabbed her coffee mug, "If I had to make a bet on it, though - she's either out on finding a high class gentleman who treats her right, _or_ out finding something unique to beat more of your teeth out." Tulip raised her coffee cup to her lips again, "Or both." She said into the mug.

Cassidy's mouth twisted as Tulip took a sharp inhale, looking up at Cassidy as she picked up her spoon again and pointed it at him, "Hey, I read this article, on the internet a while ago-" She started, "Said some guy took a bunch of these black market, penis enlarger pills or somethin' and his hard on _never_ went away and eventually his little pocket rocket blasted off."

"Jaysis," Cassidy cursed, his face disturbed. "Yea," Tulip continued, "I think it like blew up off his body cause of all the pressure or whatever." She stared up to the ceiling thoughtfully, "Or maybe the muscles in it all seized up and snapped in half..." She dropped her shoulders and shook her head, "I forget." She dug back into her cereal.

"Ah, _shite_." Cassidy rasped, "It's the least I deserve, I suppose. I was a real arse hole. Dennis showed me a video o'how I was actin' in 'ere." With her eyes still glued onto the newspaper, she raised her brow and pursed her lips, turning the page, "Ye-p." She popped her lips in agreement.

It was quiet for too long for Cassidy, which was more than 2 seconds of a pause. Tulip couldn't refrain from looking up from the newspaper at him, noticing how miserable he looked, Boo-Berry in tight grip against his crotch. She placed she'd done enough roasting for the time being, "She'll get over it." Tulip said softly, "But whatever you do, Cass, _don't_ say sorry."

He scrunched his face, "Wot?"

"Just don't." She warned, "It's forced, like you have to. It's the last thing we wanna hear. Tell her something honest." "Like wot?" Cassidy asked, "That I love 'er more than anythin'?" Tulip wided her eyes and pointed the spoon at him again, "No." She stated, " _Especially_ not that."

"Why not?" Cassidy whined, "Seems like a nice thing to say, like-" " _Because_ ," Tulip said, leaning against the table as she crossed her arms on it, "It's just an easy way out-" "Alright-" Cassidy held his hands out before she could go off, "Alright, alright... jus' tell me wot then."

"Tell her that she deserves better, or admit you're an asshole.." She shrugged, "Anythin' like that."

"Right." Cassidy groaned, not understanding, but appreciating the insight anyway, "Thanks, Tulip." She nodded, looking back at the newspaper as she took a deep breath. Cassidy stared at Tulip's dark circles under her eyes, "Are ye doin' alright?" He asked. Nodding, Tulip swallowed the lump in her throat, "Yea." She lied, "I'm fine."

With Cassidy's eyes burning into hers, she knew that he was smart enough to know she wasn't being honest. She sighed, her eyes welling a bit, "Just having a difficult time gettin' any sleep these days is all." Nodding, Cassidy hummed thoughtfully, "Yea." He said, "Lily was feelin' the same way til we got out last night." He explained, "I'm sure you'll be fine once ye clear yer head outside."

Tulip's eyes turned red, "What?" She hissed through her clenched teeth, "You two went out last night?" Suddenly, Cassidy regretted saying anything and he wasn't even sure why, "Well, yea..." Tulip slammed her coffee mug and newspaper down, staring forward, " _That's_ why she said she didn't feel like going out." Tulip realized, "That bitch." She cursed, standing up and storming to her bedroom. It took only a few seconds for her to suit up before she was well on her way out the front door.

"Tul-" Cassidy tried calling, but the door slammed in his face before he could finish. "I don't know what jus' happened." He said to himself. Taking a moment before he went to Dennis' room, "C'mon, son." Cassidy said, "We gotta run out."

Usually, Cassidy wouldn't give two fucks whether people saw his dick or not, but in this particular case he was sure to grab a coat long enough to hide it - knowing that where he was going, he was going to need to be as appropriate as he could possibly be.

* * *

 _THAT NIGHT_

It had been many hours of Cassidy and Dennis sitting alone in the apartment, waiting to hear back from anyone. Lily hadn't returned any of Cassidy's calls or texts and it was starting to get on his nerves now.

Not long after, Cassidy perked up when he heard someone approaching from outside. He perked up even more when he caught a whiff of her scent, further proving it was Lily coming in. When she walked in she was greeted with the yippy dog Cassidy and Dennis had picked up earlier that day, since Dennis had been keen on the idea of a pet since he was in better health to take care of one.

Closing the door behind her, she dragged her eyes up from the yappy dog to Dennis as he grabbed it from the ground and Cassidy who stood behind him. "Hey-" Cassidy said. "Hi." Lily said, walking further into the apartment and peaking into the room her brother and Tulip were staying in. She was hoping to catch either one of them, but neither of them were to be seen.

"I'm an asshole." He stated. "Yep." She replied, walking to the bottles of wine lined up on the kitchen counter. "You deserve better." He stated. "Mm-hm." She agreed, opening a bottle and grabbing a glass.

He was at a loss - he really didn't know what else to say.

She flashed her eyes at his groin, and her tone was stale, "They say to call your doctor if an erection lasts longer than a couple of hours, you know." Her face was straight as she grabbed a few ice cubes and placed them into the glass.

Cassidy chuckled, "Hmph!" He shifted on spot, "Might 'ave to come ta that... It hurts so bad I think it's gonna fall off soon."

"That's too bad." She stated flatly, pouring wine into the glass.

"Haven't been able t'piss all day." He chuckled, but her energy stayed flat.

"That sucks." She said, taking out her phone from her purse as her fingers were busy on it.

She texted Tulip:

 **Where are you?**

Lily walked past Cassidy with her glass of wine and towards the room she'd made her abode, stopping in her tracks as she had to double take to see a box on the bed. She nearly dropped her glass of wine. Frozen, she stared at the box in shock. She recognized the packaging perfectly. She finally walked up to it and read the tag on the outside, his chicken scratch writing an interesting contrast against the elegant packaging, "I'm a wanker."

She couldn't help but laugh softly at his vulgar words against something so elegant and beautiful. Taking only a second for her eyes to study the box, she tore it open. Inside revealed exactly what she had expected - the dream boots she'd tried on just earlier that week - which felt like a lifetime ago by now.

In lightning speed, she zipped them on, turning to the wall on the other side of the room to look at the full length, dusty mirror.

She looked at him, "Cassidy."

"So d'ye like them or wot?" He asked. With all of her might she threw her arms around him and swung herself around, "They're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." "Hmph." He laughed softly, "Yer the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." He kissed her and of course she couldn't resist kissing him back, regardless of how little he deserved it, but not for long, as she wanted to stare at the boots on her feet some more.

"You're still an asshole." She said softly

"I know that." He assured.

She nodded and let go of him and moved back to the mirror, turning to see the triangles at the top of the zippers were engraved with L and the other with a C.

It was impossible to resist clicking her heels together in happiness and as she grinned Cassidy couldn't help but mirror her reaction of pure happiness. He wasn't good at justifying or being sorry for his actions - so in this situation, if he could buy something and gain forgiveness, he was all for it.

"How'd you even get into the store without getting the police called on you?" She asked, referring to his obvious erection. "I wore a long coat." He explained. She laughed, looking back at the reflection.

She looked at the L and the C - taking everything her and Cassidy had spoken about in terms of family and names the past while and coming to perspective with him. He made Cassidy for himself, she would have to make Custer for herself. Enough trying to dig up the past. Move forward with the name.

Somehow she finally felt comfortable with her name and she wasn't sure if it was all the discussion about it recently or whether it was just how incredibly beautiful these boots were and they were fogging her brain.

Behind her, Cassidy smiled, looking at the same sight she was in the mirror - only in his mind, the C wasn't for Custer.

Suddenly, her phone buzzed, taking her attention off of her own reflection for a moment. There was a smile on her face that couldn't be wiped off as she grabbed her phone, seeing a text from Tulip.

 **Fleur Tequila Bar**

Lily saw the text - Tulip was at the Tequila bar they'd found on their adventure a while back.

 **With who?**

Lily asked, getting a response back immediately.

Suddenly, Lily's smile disappeared and her eyes went the same red Tulip's had earlier. Cassidy watched her stare at her phone and pull her head back, "Who the _fuck_ is Jenny!?"


	76. Return the Favor

Cassidy watched Lily freshen herself up frantically, slapping makeup and lipstick on her face as he followed her around, she turned off the bedroom light and practically flung herself out the bedroom door and she found her long, trench coat style jacket. Her boots even _sounded_ beautiful, the way they clacked against the floor.

Dennis watched the two of them near the front door, approaching close to Cassidy.

" _Where are we going_?" Dennis asked in French, his phone translating it out to English. Cassidy turned to Dennis, but Lily's hand was already on his shoulder, pulling him away from Dennis' attention, "Cassidy and I are just going out quick." Lily said in English to Dennis as she yanked on Cassidy's hand as she opened the front door, "Bye." As the door closed, Dennis placed his phone down on the kitchen counter and cursed under his breath.

* * *

Tulip sat at the bar with her new found friend Jenny, who she met down the hallway just a couple days before when she was patching up the holes in the wall from the Saint's bullet hole that had crossed through the entire floor of the apartment building.

Had Jesse been there, he would have pieced together that Jenny was the same person as Lara, the lounge singer he'd met during their first few nights in New Orleans. The truth was, Jenny wasn't even Lara the lounge singer - her real identity was the name Featherstone, an operative in an an organization called The Grail - the white suits as Jesse referred to them - and they were behind the ambush at the apartment the few days prior.

They'd been watching them very carefully from just down the hallway, and at first glance, Featherstone's boss, a man named Herr Starr, had no interest in Jesse. But suddenly, that all changed. In fact, in this moment, Herr Starr was talking to Jesse in this same moment in a different bar on the other side of town.

Featherstone was a master of disguising herself. The character she was currently portraying - Jenny - was a push-over, suffering from domestic abuse from her husband, rendering her to be seemingly weak and simple. Jenny tried not to show the concern on her face when she saw Lily and Cassidy walk in - she'd been watching them through cameras they'd planted in Dennis' apartment and had a good idea about them.

Tulip had told Lily to join them, but she was a little surprised to see Cassidy with her, meaning they'd obviously made amends already.

When they got through the crowd of people, Tulip's eyes caught Lily's beautiful boots and she immediately understood how Cassidy had smoothed things over so quickly with her. Tulip laughed to herself, "Hey." Tulip said with a smile. "Hey." Lily smiled back as she approached them at the bar, Cassidy close behind. As Lily took off her coat, Cassidy was already grabbing it from her, "'Ere." Cassidy said, "Let me take that fer ya." Lily watched him wrap the coat around his arm and lean against the bar, better shielding his crotch, as he caught the bartender's attention.

Tulip stared from Cassidy sheltering his penis to Lily close at her side, "Still?" Tulip whispered. Lily pressed her lips into a smile, whispering back, "Hard morning turned into hard-God-damned-day." She stood upright, her voice normal level again, "Hi." She said to Jenny, who smiled back sheepishly, "I'm Jenny." She held out her hand and Lily met it half way, their hands shaking in front of Tulip, "Lily. This is Cassidy."

Smiling and nodding politely, Cassidy flashed his eyes to Jenny over his shades and handed Lily a drink, "So," She stared at Jenny on the other side of Tulip, "Jenny." Taking a huge gulp of her drink, she turned her head, "What do you do for a living?" Lily asked her.

"I work in finance." Jenny stated simply. She'd hardly touched the beer in her hand.

Lily leaned back, her brow raising, "Finance?" Lily said, as if it was interesting, "That's cool." She took a quick breath, "What company do you work for?" It was the beginning of her grilling process, and Tulip was quick to put it to an end, "Cheers, Lily." Tulip said between her teeth, politely telling her to shut up and drink. They clinked their glasses together as Lily placed the bottle in her mouth and slammed back more alcohol. Cassidy popped a few more pills in his efforts to overshadow the effects of the viagra, of course being extra cautious he knew he was taking an opioid of some kind and nothing else.

"I'm just going to use the lady's washroom quick." Jenny said with a polite smile, getting up from her spot and turning to walk away.

Lily leaned into Tulip as she watched Jenny walk to the back of the bar towards the washrooms, "She's boring." Tulip rolled her eyes with a scoff as she grinned at Lily's predictable commentary, drinking from her glass as Lily continued, "She couldn't fight her way out of a paper bag, and her pants are so God awful they make me ashamed to be the same species as her."

Cassidy cackled at her side and Tulip looked up at both of them with a glare, "So what?" She said, leaning against the bar and bringing herself closer to Lily, "So she's not as interesting as us, or.. or as _strong_ as us or as _hot_ as us. Who cares?" Before Lily could rebuttal her argument, Tulip was already continuing, "Sometimes it's nice to spend time with someone who isn't corrupted and fucked up in every way like we are. It's refreshing to see there's people out there who are just simple, easygoing and just ... normal!"

There was a pause and Lily stared at Tulip with low eyes that said 'I don't believe you'.

Regardless of her stare, Tulip didn't crack, "That's bullshit." Lily said finally said. Tulip sighed, "Yea. Fine." She admitted, "It is." She turned back to her, "I don't know why I decided it was a good idea." There was a disheartening pause. "Hey-" Cassidy sang, "It's alright. Sometime's ye jus' need t'get out-" Lily moved closer to Tulip, cutting Cassidy off, "Cause you're pissed at me for going out without you last night and not telling you about it." She stated. Tulip looked up at her, "That's stupid." Tulip said. "Yea, it _is_." Lily stated. With her shoulders dropping and her lips pursed, Tulip shook her head, "That is _not_ what I meant! I meant it's _stupid_ you _think_ that."

Of course Lily knew that's what she meant, she grinned as Tulip slapped the side of her arm. "Alright." Lily said, placing her already empty glass down, "You two don't get too wild."

"You guys aren't going to stick around?" Tulip asked. She shook her head, "We need to do something about Cassidy's dick."

Cassidy perked up from the bar ledge he was leaning on as he finished the last of his glass, "Who's _we_?" He asked, "Are we talkin' multiple people helpin' with the situation?" Lily turned to him ," _We_ is _me_ and _you_." She specified, poking her pointed nail into his chest. He rubbed the area he'd just jabbed her nail into, "Alright. What's the plan of action?" He asked curiously, "A few things come to mind, myself." He grinned. Several desirable visions suddenly appeared in Cassidy's imagination. Tulip's face twisted, not wanting to hear any more of it.

Lily shrugged, "A saw, a machete, Hell, even a box cutter will do at this point." Tulip and Cassidy looked at her both with the same confused expression.

Leaning closer to Cassidy, Lily looked up at him, "We need to cut that thing off of you, Cassidy." At the same time Tulip burst out in laughter, Cassidy scrunched his face and scoffed in disgust. Lily placed her hands on his chest, struggling to keep a straight face with the sound of Tulip's laughter right in her ear, "It's going to kill you. It needs to go." He pushed her hands off him and shook his head, getting no entertainment from the vision painted in his mind.

"Worked with your fingers, it'll work with your penis, right?" She asked. "It'll grow back." Lily shrugged. Tulip howled louder. "That's _not_ funny." Cassidy stated with his lips flat, the two girls in front of him smiling in amusement.

"Don't they say to call your Doctor if an erection persists more than so many hours or whatever?" Tulip asked. Lily nodded, "That's what I said." She agreed, turning her head to Cassidy. His brows were raised above the frames of his shades and and he moved his hand from his hip to point a finger at them, "I'm less worried about this thing goin' away than I am about how much _piss_ I have built up inside o'me that I haven't been able to get rid of!" The girls laughed more at his misery, "My bladder's goin' to burst!" He claimed.

Grabbing Cassidy by the shoulder, Lily turned him towards the door as she laughed, " _Alright_. Let's go."

Lily looked back to Tulip, grabbing her purse and staring towards the women's washroom with no sight of Jenny. Her eyes flickered back down to Tulip as she slapped some cash down on the bar for her and Cassidy's drinks, "Have fun with Jenny from Finance." She smiled. "Oh, I will." Tulip sang.

From the bathroom inside the bar, Featherstone had been listening to their entire conversation, since she'd placed a microphone bug under the bar counter they were sitting at. From the private bathroom stall, she shook her head, listening to the past few minutes and wondering how these people were even considered any sort of interest.

"Done 'ere already?" Cassidy asked as they began walking out the door of the bar. "Yea." Lily smiled, "Thought she was out with some bitch that was going to replace me." Cassidy cackled at her over-dramatic statement, as if replacing her was a possibility, and she was able to laugh at herself too, "But now I can see she's harmless.." Cassidy nodded, and Lily took a quick breath, "Besides, we made a deal-" She nudged him, "No more nights out in New Orleans."

"Right." Cassidy recalled, placing his arm around her with a grin, "My place or yers?"

* * *

Lily collapsed beside Cassidy on the small, creaky bed, "Any luck?" Lily asked, quite confident they'd fixed his problem since by the sounds of things, he'd had more orgasms in the past hour than she had all week. It was the first time the two of them had been alone in a while, and they took full advantage of that. He reached to the blanket, lifting it to show no change in the stance of his erect penis.

She caught a glimpse of it and threw her head back, "Cass-" She groaned, turning herself into him more, "I don't think I can do this much longer."

He laughed, using his arm around her to squeeze her as she took a deep breath. It was silent for a while, and with her so close to him, her heartbeat was beginning to consume his awareness a little too much, "Somethin' on yer mind?" He asked in efforts to divert his own attention.

"Yea." She said. He used his arm around her to move her on top of him again and she sat up. As she stared down at him, her skin was flush from all the work they'd just put in. She had a beautiful pink glow that Cassidy could never have. As her eyes burned into his, he felt his stomach flutter a little. His eyes flickered to his sunglasses sitting on the bedside table not far away.

"Why do you have such a strong Irish accent still if you've been over here for so long?" She asked out of nowhere.

He shook his head, thankful for her random spark of curiosity to keep his mind busy, "My accent is _not_ strong. Y'should hear people back home."

"If you got a piercing, wouldn't it just heal over as soon as you drank blood?"

"Yes." He stated, "Note the fact I have no piercin's." He reluctantly moved one of his hands off her to his earlobe, "Pretty sure there's a stud or ring in 'ere somewhere actually. My skin jus'ate it." He used his free hand to grab a joint he'd placed on the dresser beside the bed, sparking it in his mouth before grabbing his shades and sliding them onto his face.

"How do your tattoos work, then?" She asked, adjusting herself on him as she sunk down closer to his face, leaning her chin on her hand, "I mean, technically they're just colored scars. Shouldn't they go away when you drink blood?" His face scrunched a bit, exhaling a trail of smoke, "I suppose... Listen, I didn't _create_ the rules and science of vampires, alright?" He moved the joint in his fingers from his lips towards hers, and she moved her head away from it, to which he simply placed it back in his mouth, "I just _am_ one, that's all."

"You were burnt to a crisp back in Annville. Your skin was peeling off completely like a burnt hot dog, but after you healed you still had your tattoos." She noted. Cassidy raised his eyebrows thoughtfully, inhaling again and his voice clenched as he held the smoke in longer, "I _did_ notice.." He coughed a bit as he exhaled, "Only my ones I got before I turned come back." He puffed some more and the joint was nearly all gone already, "New ink doesn't."

"Hm." She hummed thoughtfully.

"Makes it fun in a way. I get all sorts of tattoos n'I'm covered until I burst into flames. Which I try to do as little as possible, hmph." He chuckled, "But then my new ones go away n'I'm like a bit of a blank slate, like."

"How many times have you burst into flames?" She asked. "Lots." With her brows raised, she huffed, "You had _all_ these tattoos before you turned?" He went from thankful to her curiosity to over it pretty quick. He took another large drag from the joint in his mouth, moving it up towards her again, "Smoke some of this n'lie down with me again." The thought of Lily getting stoned and being as relaxed he was was suddenly a top priority. She pushed his hand away from her mouth again, "No." She stated. "Why not!?" Cassidy asked as if he was offended.

"It's a gateway." She leaned a little closer to him, "It starts off with a toke and turns into popping viagra." She teased. Lily had hardly seen his brow arch at her jab when in an instant, he'd moved his one arm around her, pulling her down closer to him. She tried to resist his efforts to shut her up, which was pointless. With her voice clenched, she couldn't help but laugh, looking up at him with his head back. He moved the joint out of his mouth, easily holding her captive with his arm as he smoked leisurely without struggle, before he moved his head down to her, kissing her and blowing the smoke into her mouth.

"Hmph!" She tried pulling away from him as she finally got her lips free from his, "Cassidy!" She coughed, unable to move an inch away from him with his arm around her, "Stop it!" He kissed her again, properly this time and he couldn't resist from laughing. Although she was kissing him back, her body was still squirming to get out of the tight restraint of his arm around her.

He released his resist against hers, and she kept her lips to his for a few more moments before pulling away, sitting back up on him as he laid back still. She groaned in torn emotions of aggravation. Looking entirely satisfied with himself, Cassidy exhaled another trail of smoke, "I'm not complaining but I don't think this whole thing is helpin' the problem we're tryin' to solve." She leaned to him and kissed him again, part of her hoping he would grab her tight to him again, but he didn't. Pulling away she nodded, "Do you have any better ideas?" She moved her hands from his face to his chest.

Of course he did. He thought on that, deciding what he'd suggest first. Cassidy watched her dreamy eyes move down to his chest and suddenly widen in what looked like pure horror. He followed her eyes, expecting to see his chest burst open judging by the look on her face, having to touch his chin to his chest to see what it was she was looking at. His eyes caught a fresh tattoo which was, of course, a lily flower.

"Oh!" He said in high pitched excitement, recalling a blurry memory of him and Dennis staggering into a tattoo shop on their way home the night before, "I forgot _all_ about that!" He practically yelled. Her hands that were on his chest suddenly clawed into him, "Cassidy!" She growled, "You are _unbelievable_!" Her brows furrowed and her eyes closed. Hunching over and placing her forehead on his chest, she groaned into it.

"Funny, we were jus' talkin' about new ink!" Cassidy laughed, "Look at the linework on that, in't that gorgeous?" He boasted as Lily groaned in what sounded like agony, Cassidy's phone began to vibrate beside him on his bed. Resting his joint in the ashtray on the bedside table, he read all the texts coming in from Dennis. He sat up, nearly face to face with Lily now. Her eyes caught his phone, quickly before they moved back to his lily flower again, "What is it?" She asked, still in disbelief.

"He wants me to meet him." He typed back slowly. "What?" Lily asked, already annoyed at how easily he'd drop what they were in the middle of and run out of his grown man of a son. "Why? What about _our_ situation we're dealing with!?" She asked, moving herself a bit on his groin. Regardless of her intent to bring his attention back to her, his attention was very still much on his phone, "I'll jus' suck back a coupla bags from the freezer and I should be fine." Lily's shoulders dropped as his eyes looked up to hers. "Wot?" He asked, "You could've just done that this whole time." She stated. He shrugged before he tossed the phone at his side and kissed her, "Was jus' hopin' it wouldn't come to that n'we could come up with a solution ourselves." Lily laughed halfheartedly.

"I'll go see what he's up to and bring 'im home." Cassidy claimed, moving her off of him and getting out of the bed.

She lowered her eyes at him and shook her head, sitting on the bed still, "Oh, no. _That's_ not happening again."

"Yea, yea." Cassidy groaned, "Alright." He said in understanding, "Let's go then." She watched him jump into his pants as her heart began to sink. Her eyes caught the joint that was still lit as she reached for it, "Wait-" She said desperately. He turned to her, not believing his eyes, "Could we try _once_ more before you turn to the blood bags?" He stared at her, watching her bring the joint to her lips. As if he needed any more persuading, she let out the most enticing moan he'd heard.

He was at her so fast, she nearly lost her breath when he grabbed her. She wrapped her legs around him again and made sure to do her best not to let him get away as they kissed again. He dragged his mouth away from hers, kissing her up the side of her face to her ear, "N'maybe while we're out, you can return the favor n'get some ink of yer own for me."

Before he'd even finished the sentence, Lily laughed the hardest Cassidy had ever heard her.


	77. Will To Live

"Better?" Lily asked, watching Cassidy finish the second blood bag in the past several minutes as they walked down the road. It looked like they'd just missed a rain storm. The shining reflections from the surrounding buildings and street lights mirrored against the wet pavement, creating a beautifully captivating glow as far as their eyes could see. Lily had caught herself staring into the reflections in the puddles a little too intently, her brain all light and fluffy from the pot she'd smoked. She felt so warm and fuzzy, she was beginning to wonder if Cassidy had laced the joint with anything else. Cassidy grabbed his crotch, "Almost." He assured, "Gonna take the longest piss I prolly ever 'ave." He chuckled, puffing on a cigarette.

Lily let out a laugh that sounded almost foreign. It was silent between them for only a few seconds, other than their footsteps. She took a breath as she dragged her eyes from their surroundings to him at her side, "Do you think we'll find God?" She asked. He looked at her, studying her red and thoughtful eyes before he shrugged, "I dunno." He said honestly. She looked forward again with a nod, and there was a quiet moment, until he cleared his throat, "Do _you_?" He asked, exhaling a long trail of smoke. She gave him the same shrug and response he'd given her, "I don't know."

They kept walking, following the road to the bar Dennis said he was at and wanted Cassidy to meet him. Too bad for Dennis, Lily decided Cassidy wasn't about to replicate the scenario the same as the night before, insisting to tag along this time for good measure. Though she wasn't sure how much of a party pooper she could play being as high as she was - there wasn't much care in her at this point. She just wanted to find something to eat and go back to bed.

Cassidy wasn't sure exactly why, but for some reason it just felt like the right moment to confess his terrible dilemma he was having against her well being and her blood. Maybe it was because all this time he was mostly afraid of what her reaction might be. Rejection was something Cassidy was a professional at facing, but for some reason he couldn't fathom facing rejection from her. There was a terrible pit in Cassidy's stomach suddenly. One that had shown up on the times he'd been so close to just telling her.

She was a lot less edgy at this moment. She was high. Cassidy's brow scrunched.

Was it bad that that was the reason he felt like it was the right time was because she was under influence that potentially filtered out the things about her normal judgement that he was afraid might give him a reaction he didn't want?

Definitely.

Did he _think_ of the situation in that perspective?

Definitely not.

How could he care for something so much as he did for her, all while at the same time, facing the struggle of draining her of life? His mouth began to water and he hated that.

"I can see why you're addicted." Lily said, as if Cassidy was listening to her thoughts. He cleared his throat, "To what?" He asked for clarification. She raised her brow and laughed, realizing how vague that statement was in reference to Cassidy. Before she could answer his question, he'd grabbed her arm and stopped on spot, turning her into him. He looked down at her.

"Lily." He said in a tone that she didn't recognize. The words were on the tip of his tongue but he couldn't spit them out.

He'd taken too long to say something and she had that look in her eyes as they moved to his lips, "Kiss me." She insisted. He shook his head, "There's somethin' I need to tell you." Cassidy admitted. " _Kiss_ me." She repeated, pulling him closer. "Listen." He said, but she interrupted him again, " _Not_ until you kiss me." He looked at her in the eyes, knowing if he kissed her that it would be game over for his efforts to want to tell her.

As he was fighting the dilemma in his head, she figured he was just being stubborn back and playing along with her game. "Fine." She pulled away from him, and instead of gripping onto her and spitting out the word vomit stuck in is throat, he let her go, watching her eyes close and her brows raising. Her lips straightened into a perfect line - looking the epitome of unimpressed as she crossed her arms and turned around, "Then I don't want to hear whatever it is you gotta say." She teased, her voice soft like velvet but with a contrasting bite to it. He stayed on spot watching her saunter away, walking several steps before turning to see he wasn't following her.

Suddenly, the pit inside Cassidy's stomach vanished. He couldn't help but chuckle at how ridiculous she was, and her straight face quickly broke after his did. She dropped her shoulders and smiled, continuing to back away even farther, walking backwards as she kept her eyes locked to his, challenging him to try and resist from moving from his spot as she got further away. She'd won the battle of smothering his thoughts once more, but he wasn't going to let her win the war she was starting with who was the first to give in. It wasn't going to be him this time.

"I'm not moving." He told her honestly. She rolled her eyes, "Alright." She sang, backing away further. He showed her just how comfortable he was, lighting another cigarette, and finally noticed her feet stop as she was having a hard time keeping up her stubborn front. They were a good distance apart, and the tension between them was killing her - and he won the second he whispered, but she heard it loud and clear regardless of the distance, "Get back over here."

Her cheeks were red and she felt lightheaded, her heart racing as she was mere seconds away from running back to him, in which she planned to try and tackle him to the ground in sour defeat.

Suddenly, Cassidy wished he hadn't let any distance between them happen. Two strangers jumped out of a parked vehicle at Lily's side, reaching towards her as she barely reacted in time to move from them. Cassidy felt himself run towards her before he could even think about it. She hardly looked at the strangers behind her before she began running towards Cassidy, her legs feeling like bags of sand compared to how fast the strangers were.

Their path towards each other was put to an abrupt end. In an instant, it was clear how planned out this operation was. Cassidy was mauled from behind by another group of people.

Lily had picked a bad time to get stoned for the first time. Her reactions were delayed, regardless of the panic she felt, and she wasn't as on her toes as she normally would be. One of them, a strong, tall woman, finally caught the fabric of Lily's coat from behind her and pulled on it hard. Lily was swept off her feet, and her face hit the cement. She groaned as she felt her nose begin to gush instantly. Her vision was blurry from the impact and she could just barely make out that Cassidy was fighting off a large group as she was being dragged away in the opposite direction.

There were two identical roars, engines Lily recognized, as two large, armored box trucks - which came to a screeching stop in the middle of the chaos.

Cassidy saw Lily being dragged away, "Lily!" He yelled, three more armored people latching themselves onto him, he growled as he ripped them off of him, "Let go of her you-" In a blur, a thick, metal wired net was shot straight at Cassidy, completely entwining him in a mess of strong restraint. He fell against the ground as the wires around him suddenly began buzzing and electrocuting him, looking up to see his view of Lily had disappeared completely. Between all the pills he'd been popping the past few hours and the alcohol, he wasn't exactly able to use speed to his advantage- but all those things didn't affect his strength.

He tore through the thick wire netting around him with no issue, other than being a bit more than charred from the electric current. He'd already taken out most of the people that were set on him, the few that were left were a little more than worried at this point. "How'd he do that?" Cassidy began throwing the wiring around, doing his best to eliminate those left standing around him as quickly as possible.

At the same time, Lily was tossed into the back of the one of the box trucks - sending her tumbling in as she slid and hit the back wall with intense momentum, collapsing back onto the floor of the vehicle in defeat as it already began racing down the roads.

Cassidy watched the truck begin to speed away while the other one sat idle not far from him. The one Lily had been thrown into was nearly out of sight. His eyes flashed to the other truck. It was obviously for him, anyway.

* * *

Lily laid on the ground, hardly able to realize what had just happened. She felt her nose gushing as the blood dripped down the side of her face onto the floor of the truck. In the distance she heard a voice, but it took a long time to process it. Her ear was pressed against the floor of the back of the box truck she'd been thrown into. Between the humming of the truck and the ringing in her ears, it was a miracle she heard the voice at all.

"I'm surprised you weren't on another planet by now." The voice said. It was a woman's voice. Familiar to Lily, but she couldn't place it without the face. With her eyes opening barely, Lily turned her head so she was facing the ceiling of the truck, her eyes slowly adjusting to the figure as another person lifted her up, their bodies rocking back and forth from the momentum of the truck driving as she could hardly stand, the woman figure a bit easier to see now as Lily also noticed a full table of torture devices - which gave it away more.

This woman was Joanne Fring - and she was on of Beneke's highest trained assassins, expert of torture - of course. Lily's heart dropped.

"Belize, Morocco, Russia..." Fring went on, picking up a large, metal rod as she walked closer to Lily, "We searched a lot of places these past couple of weeks... but _New Orleans_?" She shook her head as her face became clearer to Lily, "Not even a few hours away, _hmph_!" Fring laughed, " _Very_ smart on your part, I have to admit."

Lily swallowed, tasting blood in the back of her throat as her nose continued to drip a steady red stream. "We're here looking for God, actually." She groaned feebly, "He loves jazz, so..." In an instant, she felt herself get smacked across the face hard as she fell back to the ground. Fring obviously thought she was being a smart ass, when she was only being honest. She groaned in pain from the burn of the smack her jaw had just endured as she was yanked up from the ground by someone.

Her wrists were quickly tied together and lifted above her head as she was attached to the roof of the truck from a hanger that had been installed for no other purpose than to hang a victim, it seemed - as if she was a cow corpse ready to be cut to pieces.

A large variety of torture devices sat on the metallic table on one side of the inside of the truck. "The order was to make you _wish_ you were dead.. Beneke wants you at your wits end when they get their hands on you." Lily nodded as she looked at Fring, her arms already sore from the blood rushing down them.

Fring grabbed Lily's jaw, "Who would've thought that you'd go from contracting me out to living the experience yourself." She hissed, "I suggest you hold still and behave, not try anything funny. Cause if you unlatch from this hook above here-" She pointed proudly from where Lily's hands were tied to, before moving her pointed finger across the truck from Lily, "There's an arrow over there that will shoot in a fraction of a second and go through your heart." Fring patted her hand against Lily's chest, "Are we clear?"

"Why wouldn't I just do that and end this before it starts, then?" Lily asked, "Doesn't make much sense." At the same time the metal bar Fring was holding onto smacked her in the mouth, and she felt a tooth loosen in the back right of her mouth, "Because," Fring hissed, "I _know_ you have will to live, Lillian, you're always one to find a way."

She was right.

"Not this time." Fring promised, "There's no escaping this one. I have a kill/escape ratio of 1000 to 0-" She leaned closer to Lily, "But you know that, don't you?" She hissed, revving a bone saw she'd picked up. Lily's head was spinning and she was seeing stars from the smack she'd just taken from the metal bar, "Shit." Lily spat out a tooth, cursing the fact she _wasn't_ wearing the beautiful dream boots Cassidy had just got her. Instead, she was going to die in a mediocre pair of heels.


	78. Sore Eyes

Cassidy had taken out those who'd made it clear it was their goal to detain him, and the armored truck that was suppose to take him had started to speed away in realization that their mission had failed, regardless of the extreme measures they'd taken. He ran as fast as he could until he was able to jump on the side of the truck and climb to the passenger door. Ripping open the door with ease, he grabbed the man in the passenger seat and lunged mouth gaping towards his neck.

"What the-" The driver screamed, the truck swaying a bit as he began leaning away from the gruesome sight at his side. He struggled to focus on the road, "Oh God!" He shrieked. Cassidy had made such a gruesome mess of the man's neck, the victim was a few skin fibers short of decapitated, "Get me to that other truck, _now_!" Cassidy demanded, half of himself still practically hanging outside the truck, "Or yer gonna look worse than him!" He yanked the mans head off its last strands, breaking it off the neck bone with a gut wrenching **_CRACK_** as he waved it in the drivers face before tossing it out the window.

It had taken a few very agonizing minutes for the driver to catch up to the truck Lily was in, and Cassidy was all too eager to get to it. He sat there, quiet, the entire cabin of the truck covered in blood. The driver sat quiet, shaking as he didn't dare take his foot off the gas or eyes off the road.

When the truck Lily had been taken in came in sight, Cassidy couldn't sit still, "Get as close to it as ye can." He ordered the driver as he threw himself out of the cabin of the truck and onto the hood. The second he felt he could make the jump to the next truck, he did. As soon as Cassidy had jumped from one truck to the other, the driver from the vehicle he'd jumped off of skidded to a stop, turning around and driving as far away from the situation as he could in fear for his own life.

From inside the vehicle Lily was in, Fring was well on her way to Lily's ankle with the bone saw just barely grazing her. The way Lily squirmed in the restraint she was tied in and the sound her throat made as she tried to scream against the thick tape that had been placed over her mouth pleasured Fring in many ways.

Just as the saw barely shed skin on Lily, there was a thump that shook the entire vehicle. Fring, perked up, and Lily's eyes opened from their squinted state.

"What was that?" She asked the two henchmen behind her, both with clueless looks on their faces, "Find out!" Fring demanded.

Before they could even react, one of the large back doors began bending open. The henchmen held out their guns and shortly after, the gun shots went off, and in the small space of the truck they were in, the sound of the gunshots so close made Lily's ears ring.

It was a smokey, hazy blur and suddenly, Cassidy was right in front of her, "Are y'alright?!" He asked, grabbing her to get her down from the hook she hung from. She went from pure relief to pure terror.

She remembered what Fring had said about the trap she'd rigged if Lily dare try anything to get herself free. If Cassidy moved her off the hook, she'd be dead in an instant. Lily shook her head vigorously, her screaming and words muffled by the tape as she tried to push away from him to urge him not to touch her - but he wasn't taking the hint, as her the sight and sound of her so helpless and distraught only made him that much more eager to get her out of the position she was in, "It's alright." He assured, "I'm getting us out of 'ere." He reached up and grabbed her wrists and she screamed louder as he lifted her and the weight of her being taken off the hook had triggered the trap that was set.

She heard the deep swish sound of the arrow launch as she stopped screaming. By instinct, she clenched her entire body, closing her eyes as she braced for the impact. She didn't feel the pain yet, but she knew it was only a matter of time before the shock wore off and her body would soon know the pain she was in. Her heartbeat was so loud, it was the only thing she could hear.

Finally, she found it in her to open her eyes.

Cassidy looked down, "Oh." He said simply, looking down at the arrow piercing through his chest. Luckily, he blocked it from hitting her. He let go of her for a moment and gripped the arrow that was sticking out of his chest. Now that he'd lifted her down, her hands were no longer pinned above her, though they still were tied together. Lily let go of the breath she didn't notice she was holding. She ripped off the tape over her mouth, "That's-" She panted, "What I was trying to say."

He raised his brow and his mouth twisted as he staggered a bit, feeling disoriented suddenly. "It's poisoned." She explained. "Hm." He groaned. She watched him as he snapped the front half of the arrow sticking out of his chest, reaching for the back part as his fingers could just barely graze it. "D'ye mind?" He asked, turning around. With her wrists still tied together, she grabbed the back of the arrow and pulled it out from him, dropping it on the ground the same time he fell on his face.

Lily rushed towards the body of Joanne Fring, doing her best to drag her close enough to Cassidy. When she was barely in reach of him, he was already sinking his teeth in to get enough blood in him to counteract the poison. As he ripped apart her body while Lily made it her goal to find something sharp to cut free her wrists. When she'd finally done so, she stared at her wrists, each of them bloody and raw from the friction of rope they'd just endured.

"You alright?" Cassidy asked, standing up again. She turned to him, a sight for sore eyes - literally. She knew with her nose so broken that she was going to have two really awful black eyes. She nodded, her head foggy, "Yea." She looked him up and down, covered in blood, "You?" She asked as her eyes glued to the red coating his face and neck. "Yea." He stated, fixing his sunglasses. They nodded to each other, knowing they had to get themselves out quickly. Lily began searching each of the bodies, looking for weapons of any kind. She found two guns, tucking them into her sides as she heard metallic crunch, looking up to Cassidy had began ripping open the partially pried open door more to make it easier for the both of them to get out.

As she kept searching the area, she wiped her arm across her face, trying to clear off as much blood and snot as she could that had poured out her nose, which was no doubt broken. She heard a steady stream of what sounded like water, turning to see Cassidy with his dick out, pissing on the bodies that laid on the ground.

"Finally-" He said with a sigh of relief.

There was just enough time for him to chuckle before the truck came to a startling stop, sending the both of them flying off their feet.

Knowing there was a compromise in their captivity, the driver of the truck had first slammed on the brakes, before they began rage speeding, turning and jerking the wheel in efforts to keep them unstable inside the truck, sending the two of them flying across the inside. The bodies of the others, blood, piss and all, flew around with them, and the collection of weapons and torture devices Fring had set out also ricochet off of the four walls.

After one very sharp turn, Lily had been thrown back against Cassidy, her elbow cracking him against his mouth, causing his teeth to unintentionally pierce her skin. Her leg was lodged underneath him. Letting out an ear piercing scream, Lily reached down at her leg pinned under Cassidy, who struggled to stand up against the vigorous driving. " _Shite_!" He grabbed her arm, looking at the faint teeth marks, "Oh, shite." His heart dropped as the teeth marks began bleeding.

It became more obvious she was worried about a different pain as she ripped her arm out of his grasp and reached down to her leg and rolled on her side. Lily's voice clenched as her face went red from all the pain, "My leg-" She choked out. The bodies and various weaponry and sharped-edged tools rolled around them.

He looked down at her leg, what looked to be a large meat hook stuck deep in her thigh. "Fuck." He swore, kneeling down and balancing as best as he could against the rigorous driving. "How bad is it?" Lily asked, too afraid to look. He stared at it, grabbing it and feeling it entirely stuck into her. His eyes flickered back to her bleeding elbow. She had no idea he was more worried he'd just accidentally bit her, "Bad." He stated with a lump in his throat.

They groaned in unison, their bodies swaying with the vigorous driving of the vehicle.

"Just get it out." She said, grasping onto him. He scrunched his brow, grabbing it and tugging it slightly as she jolted up with a gasp, squeezing his arm. "Don't think that's the best idea." Cassidy decided. She nodded, struggling to keep up as she took a few quick breaths, "Ok... ok... alright..."

Cassidy ran back to the doorway he'd bent open to crawl into, opening it much wider before rushing back to her, "I need ye t'jus hold on a _little_ longer. We need t'get out of here right now n'I can't do that if y'pass out." He said. She nodded, exhaling and trying her best to stay with it. "OK." She said, feeling him lift her up, "We gotta get on the roof." He stated, grabbing a couple metallic instruments from the ground, "We'll crawl over the top t'get to the front." She didn't have it in her to argue, he helped her out of the opening he'd made and pushed her up to the roof of the truck before lifting himself. He took two of the large metal instruments he'd found and stabbed them into the roof, giving her something to grip on. She kept down, her body swinging as the driver continued swerving. Cars were honking and it sounded like complete chaos on the road under them.

On his way up to the roof, Cassidy was shot several times, "Agh!" Cassidy yelled, falling down at her side as he gripped on with her. She looked at the blood pooling under him from the bullet wounds, noticing a few cars following close behind them now. Cassidy groaned, his eyes searching the area as he peaked his head up more, "We gotta find a way t'get to the driver n'get rid of 'im." **ZING** Cassidy ducked lower as another few bullets zoomed by his head. "I can't do that if you get shot in the head, Cassidy!" She yelled, pulling him all the way down. Lily let go of one of her grips and grabbed a gun she'd stored in her side.

Lily returned fire to the vehicles that shot towards them, not hitting anything with how disoriented and blurry her vision was. She exhaled, taking a breath to try and steady herself. Suddenly, more shots began firing towards them from the opposite direction.

Cassidy looked around desperately, noticing their path taking them onto the largest six lane bridge in the city. There were more armored vehicles coming from the other side of the bridge. Soon they'd be entirely surrounded. Cassidy studied the bridge and figured it was lucky they were driving on the outside lane. Not thinking much, he grabbed Lily, standing up and holding her close to his side. "What are you doing!?" She asked frantically, trying to pull the two of them down again as bullets whizzed past them.

"Hold on to me tight." He inched further to the edge of the moving truck roof they were standing on, and Lily all of a sudden pieced together that he was about to throw them off the truck and off the bridge. Her eyes widened as she shook her head at him, "Cassidy, **no**!" She screamed, "No, no, let's _fight_!" Another few bullets zoomed past them. "We can take them!" Though she might've been right, she was in terrible shape and it wasn't a risk he was about to take. Jumping off a bridge seemed less of a risk, in his mind at least.

He tried his best to tune her out - struggling in his arm, pleading him to change his mind, as he focused on timing out the perfect moment to jump while missing the steel beaming structure of the bridge. "Have you lost your mind?" Her voice cracked as she yelled at him.

"Proinsias-" She tried to be stern, slamming her fist in his chest, but the fear in her voice was obvious, "Cassidy, _please_." Finally, it was a perfect opportunity. He leaned back, and Lily felt her stomach drop in terror as she gripped on tight as she could to him while he lunged off the moving truck, clearing the bridge - the both of them falling down into the roaring river below.


	79. Weightlessness

_Issa long one..._

 _As always thanks so much for your feedback I love hearing what you guys are thinking it really helps motivate me to push these chapters out. Please me know what you think, I always look forward to it. :D_

* * *

The feeling of pure weightlessness was something Lily hadn't felt in a long time.

It was complete panic and chaos. They'd just been gripping for their lives on the roof of a box van, bullets coming their way in every direction as the van sped and jerked around viciously. To make matters worse, Cassidy had thought it was a grand idea to lift them up into perfect shooting range before throwing the both of them off a massive bridge. It was a long drop down to the water. Lily had felt her stomach flop as their feet broke the surface of the river - and just like that, all the feeling went away. There was no more sounds of gun shots or honking cars. No more anticipation. No more panic. Just peace and quiet. With how high up they were, she'd gone down into the water pretty deep. Her ears were built up with pressure from the depth, but that was the only discomfort.

Suddenly, she felt a grip on her shoulder as the pressure in her ears began releasing. The more the pressure went away, the more she began noticing how short of breath she was. Reality hit. Her eyes shot open and the panic came back in an instant. She tried to kick, forgetting about the massive hook in her leg. She screamed underwater unwillingly, reaching to the hook in her leg as she felt the pain shoot through her again. It was so dark under the water, having her eyes open made no difference.

Cassidy pulled her up towards the surface. When they made it back up Lily gasped, partly for air and partly in preparation to scream in agony. The sound of the city quickly faded as the roaring sound of the river drowned out any other noise. They were quickly being swept away from the bright light that the city and surrounding area gave off and soon they were in darkness.

Cassidy kept her close as he noticed the current slowing, spotting a large bay area not far. Lily felt entirely useless. With the giant hook in her leg and the pain from hitting the water from the height they'd dropped, she couldn't move, let alone swim.

If it wasn't for Cassidy, she would have drown a long time ago - but if it wasn't for Cassidy she also wouldn't have jumped off a bridge in the first place.

Lily listened to the roar of the river fade as instead the croaking of frogs and crickets became more dominate in her ears. The only light source was the moon. It was impossible to see in the thick, foggy bayou they were beginning to wash up on.

Cassidy held her close as he pulled them towards the shore of the swampy area.

"I can't see anything." She admitted uneasily. "It's fine." Cassidy assured, pulling them closer to shore, "I can." Taking a deep breath, Lily breathed in the thick, muggy air, groaning in discomfort as the film of algae on her became thicker and thicker. She felt them get heavier as the water became so dense it was almost starting to feel like they were hardly moving through it.

Finally, Cassidy could feel the ground with his feet. He pulled her around him, cradling her as he lifted them out of the water, hardly getting to the grassy shore before he laid her down and fell down beside her.

They both took a moment to catch their breath. It was only a brief few seconds before there was a deep growl that sounded far too close to them. "What was that?" Lily whispered nervously. Cassidy lifted his head up, noticing a giant alligator right at their feet. He scrambled up, grabbing her as he rushed away from the water front and ran into the surrounding forest area. In the middle of all the trees and greenery, Cassidy did a better glance at the ground area this time before he stopped, laying her down again. She didn't let go of him, her hand still gripping onto his arm.

"Cassidy." Lily groaned, "I need your blood." He inhaled and stared at her. Her nose was broken and her eyes had each gone black and blue already. She had various cuts and bruises covering her. The river had done a good job cleaning themselves of the blood that had covered them not long before, but they were now instead covered in a thick, swamp algae and mud. He picked a twig out of her hair, as if it'd make a difference with everything else stuck in it, "I don't think that's th'best idea wit that hook in yer leg." He stated, "Wot if it heals around it n'it's stuck in y'worse?"

Lily sighed.

"We could _try_ n'get it out 'ere as clean as possible?" Cassidy reasoned, "Then wait til y'heal enough t'leave." Lily listened to all the surrounding sounds of the bayou around them. She could hardly see him and he was right at her side, "No." She huffed, her hand on him gripping harder, not wanting to spend another second in the pitch black of the thick forest they were in, "Get us the Hell out of here."

* * *

It was a long trek out of the thick forest. Cassidy drained a lot of the people who'd come after them, and it proved to have made a big difference considering the fact he'd been carrying her the entire trek out with seemingly no struggle as she was battling the effort to just stay awake. Suddenly, he felt her reaching for his face, grabbing at his shades as she huffed softly. "Wot issit?" He asked. "How-" She sighed, "After _all_ of _that_ -" Her eyes were heavy and she was at her very last bit of energy, "Do you _still_ have your shades?" Her head was resting against his shoulder. A bit relieved, he laughed softly, "Lots o'practice keepin' them glued t'me face." He explained. "Hm." She said quietly.

She yawned, "Good thing you got _your_ share of blood in you." Lily stated drowsily, her words getting quiet and slower every second, "Because if you hadn't... and the roles were reversed... and it was up to _me ..._ to get us out of here... we'd be alligator food."

"Hmph!" Cassidy chuckled again, ducking under a fallen tree as he maneuvered his way through the forest, "Well let's jus' be thankful that's not the case." He was thankful to hear her chuckle back, even as feeble as it was. His stomach had an awful pit in it as he worried about the wound on her elbow. He'd seen the teeth marks perfectly after her elbow had smashed him in the mouth, "How are y'feelin?" He asked curiously. She might not have been able to see him clearly, but of course, he could see her lift her head from it's resting place on him and her face scrunch in annoyance, "What kind of a stupid question is that, Cass?" She asked. He shook his head, "Right. Sorry. Just tryin' to be supportive." He teased. Her head was back resting against him as she took a heavy breath, "I'm going to pass out." She warned. "That's fine." He said simply, and within seconds she was entirely out.

When Cassidy had finally reached a dirt road, he had to stop and listen to his senses to figure out which way was civilization and which way was thicker foliage. He looked down at her, grabbing her arm that was tucked over herself to check the mark on her elbow area from his teeth. The marks were faint, but they were there. His heart skipped a beat as he wondered if it had been enough to warrant changing her. Finally, he stared down the road and turned right, walking down the dirt road until finally hitting the city. He was able to track down a cab, who thankfully didn't ask questions, just made sure all the windows were rolled down since the two of them reeked to high heaven.

* * *

When they got back to the apartment - Lily never knew she'd miss it as much as she did. She was so relieved when she came to again, hearing the distant yapping of a dog as they walked into the front door. She'd forgotten about the dog Cassidy and Dennis had got.

"Jesse!" Cassidy yelled, still holding Lily, "Tulip! Dennis!" He placed her sitting on the kitchen table and looked at her swollen nose and eyes that were beginning to turn black and blue, the result of falling on her face at the beginning of the ambush. He grabbed her shoulder with one hand and her face with another, "I'm gonna see if anyone's 'ere." She nodded with her eyes closed as Cassidy ran to the other side of the apartment.

Slowly, she leaned herself back to lay on the table, her legs hanging off the ledge.

She heard Cassidy pacing around the apartment, looking for someone to help. Soon after, he came back with a pillow and placed it under her head, "Is Jess here?" Lily asked. "No." Cassidy said somewhat regretfully, "Tulip, neither." Cassidy wasn't a pro at these things and he knew either of the two of them would know how to take care of a hook in her leg properly compared to what he'd had in mind.

Lily turned her head and caught her reflection in the kitchen window - her hair had dried in a puffy and knotted mess, with a variety of twigs and dirt mixed into it from the driver and swamp they'd crawled out of. There was thick, dried algae coating her skin and hair, causing her to glow a green color. Her clothes were ruined and she had various cuts and bruises all along herself.

The hook had gone through her jeans, "Alright." He said, "Let's get this thin' out of you, then."

"Do you know what you're doing?" She asked.

"Of course." Cassidy stated, "Mostly." He admitted. Lily gulped, placing her hands over her face and rubbing her sore head.

"I suppose we jus' yank it out n'put a lot of pressure on it. Clot it somehow. Clean the wound. Make sure y'don't get any infection." He said as if it was his definite plan, while at the same time coming across as making sure it was the right idea.

Lily laughed into her palms that were over face, "Fuck." She sobbed and laughed simultaneously, feeling a little more than nervous. Slowly, she sat up, her face was pale and she had cold sweat dripping all over her. There was a combination of pure panic and misery in her face as she grabbed his arms, "Cass- you _need_ to find Tulip or Jesse." She stated, knowing they'd be better to handle the situation.

The distraught look in her eyes and the way she begged him broke his heart too much to argue that he was confident he could handle it himself. His brow furrowed and he nodded slowly, "Alright." He whispered, grabbing his phone as he dialed each of them, neither of them answering. As the phone dialed in his ear, he leaned around her, eyeing up the marks on her elbow from his teeth. There was no answer from Jesse nor Tulip. He slipped his phone back in his pocket.

"We can't wait any longer, Lily." He said, "I jus' gotta get it out, n'then we can get ye fixed up, alright?" Cassidy stated.

She knew he was right. Soon she'd have a good dose of his blood and everything would be fine. She couldn't even feel her leg anymore, "Yea." Lily said with a lump in her throat.

Cassidy looked at her a moment - his hand moved to beside the hook that was stuck in her and he looked at her eyes, peaking his above his frames. "On three." He said softly as he raised his brows. She straightened her lips and closed her eyes, leaning all the way back and laying down on the table top as her legs hung over the side.

"One..." He said, feeling her heart speed up as he looked at her - her eyes still closed as she was taking a deep breath, "Two..." He said, placing his hand on the hook. And before he could say three, he was already yanking on it. Immediately, she jolted upright, unable to control her body's instinct to try and pull away from him. Cassidy had pictured a painful withdraw, sure, but he hadn't pictured it to be this difficult.

It was _really_ lodged into her, and he was reefing on it pretty good, trying to follow the curve of it as it inched out more, trying not to tear apart her leg in the process - her hands were clawing at his hand that pulled the hook out as she begged him to stop.

Finally, the hook came loose, but her thigh looked like a hack job. The denim from her jeans around it was already soaked in thick, dark blood. The hook was barbed and it had done a number on her flesh on it's way out. Cassidy threw the bloody hook behind him onto the floor as she collapsed back, nearly breaking the table in her momentum. She panted through the adrenaline rush her body pumped into her, her heart beating fast as the blood began to gush out of the deep wound, running down her leg in a steady stream as it began dripping onto the floor.

"Ok," Cassidy said, placing a hand on the gushing wound as he struggled to hold his breath. Each time her heart beat, he felt both her pulse and the blood gush out. His mouth got hot and saliva filled his mouth so quickly he nearly drooled.

Things were getting very foggy as Lily felt all the blood leaving her. She needed his blood and she needed it now. His one hand was pressed against her gaping wound on her leg while he lifted his free hand to his mouth. Quickly, he grazed his teeth against his palm to make an opening to place against her mouth.

At the same time - the front door opened. Cassidy's eyes shot upwards, seeing Dennis in the doorway. "Dennis!" Cassidy said, moving his hand he'd just sliced open into his side.

Dennis looked from Cassidy to Lily laying on the table, noting the obvious rough shape the two of them were in. "Uh-" Dennis groaned, closing the door behind him as his brow furrowed, taking out his phone he spoke French into it as the robotic monotone voice returned the translation, " _What happened to you two? I heard her screaming outside the fucking building._ " He walked towards them as he took his coat off.

Cassidy knew he couldn't possibly give Lily his blood in front of Dennis. Raising him with 'proper' morals as a vampire was already proving to be hard enough - adding the spin on the fact Lily relied on Cassidy's blood would likely add another layer that Cassidy didn't need in fatherhood. Especially since it wasn't something Cassidy understood himself. He shook his head, fluttering his eyes, "Yea." He choked out, placing his palm against his pants to hide the slice he'd just made. "We were jus' about t'meet yew n'we had some unexpected visitors." Cassidy said. He kept his hand tight onto her wound that was still pounding, turning to look around, "Can you get me a towel or somethin, son? I need to clot this fuckin' thing."

As the phone translated, Dennis nodded once, turning and grabbing a tea towel hanging over the stove handle before tossing it to Cassidy.

Lily took a deep breath, hearing their voices in the distance as she struggled to stay conscious. Feeling the blood gush from the gaping wound on her outer thigh, she turned her head, hearing Cassidy rip the fabric as he began tying it around the wound, as if it would help any. He leaned down to her ear and spoke softly, assuring her everything would be fine, but she couldn't focus on his words. Her heavy eyes were trying to focus on Dennis, who glared at her all too maliciously.

"Son," Cassidy said, staring around the mess of ripped denim around her wound. It had to be cut away if they were going to clean it properly, "Wanna get me some scissors t'cut these jeans away." He stated as the phone translated. Dennis was moving with little purpose compared to Cassidy's somewhat frantic state, and _finally_ , Dennis walked up to them and handed Cassidy a pair of kitchen scissors.

"Thanks." Cassidy grabbed them, noticing Dennis stopping in his tracks a second as he was the closest he'd been to them since he walked in. There was a look on his face that Cassidy recognized all too well. Dennis' eyes were glued to all the blood on the floor from Lily's leg and there was a distinct spark in them.

Cassidy stood upright slowly, tucking the scissors in his pocket as he cleared his throat, "I'm gonna go help 'er clean up." Cassidy explained, grabbing Lily and carrying her to the bathroom.

He locked the door behind them and immediately started the shower. It was steaming hot almost immediately and he lifted her into the tub - clothes and all, laying her down as the shower water sprayed down on her. Before she could beg him for it, his hand was already in her mouth and she tasted his blood. It was one thing to have her daily dose diluted in water, but it was a whole other thing to have it fresh from the source. It was so good, it made everything she'd just gone through worth it for this moment. Finally he got it away from her, and she already had a red glow back in her cheeks and a twinkle in her eye.

As he sat on the side of the tub, he leaned upright more instead of leaning over her, his eyes moving to check her leg, which was thankfully already clotting. He sighed with relief and suddenly he was pulled closer to her again as her arm was around his neck. She leaned up to him and kissed him, and he was glad to reciprocate, "I don't know what I'd do without you." She admitted.

"Be in less trouble, likely." He teased playfully, but her face was long.

"No." She shook her head, "That was all me." With a sigh, she swallowed the lump in her throat as the water from the shower head continued falling down on them, "They told me Beneke sent for me." Looking up at him she took a sharp breath, "It was Beneke. It was all me." He took a breath in. It wasn't so usual for something like an ambush to not be his fault.

Her eyes moved from his to her body. Her tattered clothes were stuck to her from the water showering down on them and he was still completely clothed, half of him inside the shower and the other half out. It was silent for a moment, and he didn't really know what to say. Luckily, she broke the silence for him.

"Get these wet clothes off me." She requested.

He reached into his pocket and grabbed the scissors and grinned, "Gladly."

* * *

Lily must've washed her hair four times over to get all the dirt and grime out from the water they'd been in. Finally, the water in the shower ran clear and clean and the drain was no longer clogging from all the debris washing off the both of them.

Lily as she was flipped upside down, wrapping a towel around her head and grabbing another as she tied it around her body. Cassidy had some clothes from the other day thrown on the corner of the counter he grabbed happily. Lily began brushing her teeth as she scrunched her face at Cassidy in the reflection of the mirror. "What?" He asked, pulling his jeans up and noting that he'd put no underwear on. "Commando? In _jeans_?" She asked with her mouth full of toothpaste, she leaned forward slightly, holding her towel back from getting in the way of her spitting out the foam.

"So?" He asked. She arched a brow, placing her toothbrush back in her mouth with a grin. Suddenly, she winced, moving the toothbrush from her mouth, "Ah!" She groaned, placing her thumb and index finger into her mouth. Cassidy's heart dropped as he watched her massage her gum area.

He thought she was in the clear. His teeth marks weren't on her elbow anymore since she'd drank his blood and healed. "Wot?" He asked frantically, turning her towards him and staring into her mouth. He held onto her still as she pushed away from him, turning back to the mirror. Pulling her mouth back, she looked into the far back of her top row of teeth, noticing the gap and remembering spitting out a tooth when she'd been smacked in the face with a metal rod in the box van earlier.

"Bitch knocked one of my teeth out." She stated to her reflection before turning back to Cassidy, "Guess your blood doesn't include dental coverage." She teased with a shrug.

He sighed with relief, feeling his heart rate decrease noticeably, "Glad to 'ave killed her dead n'pissed all over her, then." She laughed, his hands were still on her as she turned back into him, "That _was_ very sweet of you." He smiled down at her, adjusting his shades on his nose.

"I shouldn't complain, anyways." She stated, wiping her hands, "I mean, _I'm_ just glad to not look like a corpse any more." She pressed her lips into a flat smile. "Ye smelt the part, too." Cassidy said. She glared at him as he continued, "Awful, actually." She tilted her head, " _Please_." She scoffed, turning away from him and staring back to the mirror, "If my nose hadn't been broken I'm sure I would've noticed you didn't smell like a damn rose garden, either."

He grinned.

"Asshole." She added, grabbing the dental floss.

He leaned to her and kissed her cheek before she turned and kissed his lips. Wrapping her arms around him, he took a deep breath against her - the way she smelt further proved just how human she was. He was finally not worried she was going to change. Still holding one another, Cassidy leaned out of the kiss, "I'm going to clean up the mess out there." He said. She nodded, looking up at him, "I'll come help in a minute."

When Cassidy closed the bathroom door behind him, he was surprised to see the kitchen completely spotless already. The small pool of blood on the ground under the table was gone, the mess on the table was cleared and everything else that had been out of sorts was spic and span.

Dennis was standing by the fridge, "What happened?" Cassidy asked. Dennis grabbed his phone and placed it on the counter before speaking french, "I cleaned the mess." The phone translated. There was a tone to Dennis' voice that didn't carry over through the monotone phone translation, but Cassidy picked up on it. There was streak in his eyes that left Cassidy nervous. " _How'd_ you clean it up, son?" Cassidy asked carefully. There were no cleaning products in sight, let alone a mop or paper towel.

Suddenly, Cassidy's phone began ringing. It was Tulip. The same time, Lily walked out of the bathroom, still wrapped in a towel. "Tulip?" Cassidy answered his phone. She was heated, ranting about something Jesse had or hadn't done, becoming a sudden distraction in the moment as he walked to the kitchen window to talk to her. Lily walked to the fridge to get water. Dennis stood leaning against the counter beside it as Lily ignored him, until he leaned towards her, speaking quietly in French, " _Cassidy told me some old friends ran into you._ " He said. She noticed the way he inhaled deeply as he got a little closer to her and suddenly the hair on her arms and the back of her neck stood upright.

There was a tone to his voice and a feeling she was getting that was telling her he was being condescending, and she wasn't sure why yet. " _Is there something you want to tell me, Denis_?" She hissed back quietly. He smiled with a shrug, proving her execution of tone to not to have the same disturbing affect on him as with her.

" _That gash in you was pretty nasty._ " His eyes flickered to her leg, and she kept hers glued to his face, " _Your eyes were black and your nose was bruised._ " Denis continued before looking back to her eyes with a grin, " _Is there something you're not telling me, Lily_?" She felt her blood boil at his hostility while at the same time a shiver of instinctual fear rushed through her.

" _I would wonder if Cassidy didn't turn you as well, judging at how you managed to heal so quickly, but you still smell so wonderful I know that to not be true_." As he turned away from her, his eyes stayed glued to hers until he finally dragged them away.

As he walked down the hall to his room, she realized how tight her throat was. Lily gulped as Cassidy walked to her, "It's Tulip." Cassidy said, scrunching his face, "She told us they're coming back here now." Lily nodded, and both Cassidy and herself had the same twisted face. "What?" Cassidy asked her with the phone still in his ear, "What is it?" She shook her head, crossing her arms, "Nothing." She insisted, her eye catching a glimmer from the corner of the kitchen. The giant metal hook that was stuck inside her not long ago was sitting sparkly clean on the counter top.

With her eyes glued to it and her hair on her skin still standing, she swallowed, "Tell them to hurry up."


	80. Messiah

Sorry for the delay - I have so many ideas for the future of this fic but having a really hard time with this chapter and the next one without dragging all too much. Thanks to those of you for taking the time to review! It means a lot to hear your feedback.

* * *

Lily had locked herself in the bedroom and thought on everything that had happened the past few hours. Across the apartment in the kitchen, she heard Cassidy and Dennis' muffled voices. Lily's mind was foggy, her memory replaying the chilling look and words that Dennis had given her. There was a cold wave in her blood that told her to be worried about Dennis, but she knew Cassidy would only be defensive if she brought it up.

With a deep breath, she tried to concentrate past the terrifying glance of Dennis' eyes and the blood curdling tone in his voice hissing in her ear, until finally, a light bulb went off.

 _Les Enfants du Sang._

The vampire wannabe cult in the basement of Eccarius' manor. She remembered how disgusted Cassidy had been of them and how upset he'd be if Dennis had an inkling he had anything to do with a group like that.

Sneakily, she quickly made her way to Dennis' room, which luckily already had the door open. It sounded like Dennis and Cassidy were moving from the kitchen to the living room. Holding her breath as she stepped in, her eyes caught Dennis' laptop was sitting on his bed, open, to which she helped herself to, opening the web browser and typing in the words, "Les enfants du sang"

Lily got up from the bed, intending to leave it as a simple google search, when her eyes caught a result of a full web page. Leaning back to the laptop, she was too curious not to click on the link. Staring at the web page for only a moment, it was better than what she even anticipated. This would be perfect. She left it open on the laptop, knowing all she would have to do is show Cassidy what she 'found' for him to be as concerned about Dennis as she was.

Suddenly, she flinched in place when she heard the front door open. She cautiously peaked out the door before quickly stepping back out into the hallway.

Making her way out to the kitchen, Lily was thrilled to see her brother and Tulip. Cassidy had already made coffee as it was nearly time to start the day again.

She didn't even say hello to them, "I need your help." Lily pleaded to Jesse, "Beneke sent a group of people after me and Cass last night." She explained. Cassidy sipped on a cup of coffee at the table, "You need to use Genesis on them to get them to back off. For good." She requested, "It was a _real_ bad situation, Jess."

Jesse's brow furrowed, "Bad situation, huh?" He glanced her up and down, noting how perfect she looked, "You look fine, Lily." He noted, "You don't have a dent on ya. Couldn't have been _that_ bad of a situation." He smiled softly before his eyes flashed to Cassidy sitting at the table, "You good, Cass?"

Cassidy moved the mug from his mouth and pressed his lips into a flat smile, not sure what to say other than a simple, "Yea."

Lily took a sharp breath in to retaliate, but found herself holding her breath as she struggled to argue against him. After ingesting Cassidy's blood she'd been healed better than new, of course Jesse didn't understand. She stared into his eyes a moment before she realized it was hopeless. There was no way of explaining what happened without seeming like she was being over dramatic or insane.

She suddenly noticed the terrible look on Tulip's face.

"What?" Lily asked nervously.

Tulip shifted her weight, her arms crossed and steam nearly coming out of her ears. " _What_?" Lily repeated a bit sharper.

"You're not gonna tell them?" Tulip asked, turning her head to Jesse.

Jesse's eyes dropped and before he could even come up with words Tulip was already talking for him, "Jesse didn't send the Saint back to Hell at all. In fact, he just figured it'd be alright if he just threw him in a truck and pushed him into the bottom of a swamp!" Lily unwillingly jerked back slightly as Tulip was quick to continue in her low drag of tone, "And guess what?"

Lily's eyes moved from Tulip to her brother, who was covered in shame. She kept her eyes on him as Tulip continued, "We took the truck out, and yep, you guessed it-" She placed her arm around Lily's shoulder, "He's gone." Although her tone was seemingly soft it was so quiet and there was a smile across her face, it was obvious she felt the exact opposite.

Cassidy's brow scrunched as he shook his head at Jesse, "Wot?" He asked, suddenly sitting up straighter. Tulip took a quick breath, "Which _means_ he's somewhere out there and he's probably going to be back here any minute."

Lily took a deep breath through her nose as Tulip lit a cigarette, "How's _that_ for a bad situation?"

* * *

Jesse had spent the last half hour talking to seemingly himself. Tulip, Cassidy and Lily had all been sitting down in the living room while he paced around, ranting and rambling, doing his best at damage control of the situation he'd created.

He'd found it worse that both Tulip and Lily had been silent the entire time he'd been talking. Soon he was finding himself wishing one of them would just scream at him. When Jesse stopped talking, the only sound was the muffled barking of Banjo from Dennis' room.

"Is that a dog?" Jesse asked, his voice a soft tone that was unusual. "Yea." Cassidy groaned, "Dennis' 'as been after me fer a puppy, so-" Lily rolled her eyes in annoyance. Jesse nodded, his tone of voice soft and gentle, "That's nice." He noted, and just like that - it was silence again.

Jesse looked at each of them before breaking the silence himself again, "You guys aren't gonna say anythin'?" He asked.

Lily looked at Tulip, who caught her eyes and pressed her lips together as she shook her head, "I said everythin' I had to." Tulip claimed. Lily looked from Tulip to her brother before she let out a deep exhale, "I can't imagine what went through your head that day-" Lily started. Immediately, she felt Tulip's eyes widen at her as she began what sounded like was sympathizing for her brother, "I _mean_ -" Lily began justifying before Tulip exploded, "-the Saint isn't _obviously_ the easiest thing to deal with. Which we _know_." Lily emphasized, raising her brows at Tulip.

Of course Tulip knew.

He'd been haunting ever since he'd laid his hands on her.

"However-" Lily continued with a sigh, "You _still_ should've told us, Jesse."

"No shit!" Tulip piped up.

"I know." Jesse stressed, "I'm sorry. I should've, I know." He assured, "If he comes back I'll handle it, like I did last time." Cassidy rolled his eyes, "Really?" Jesse took a breath in, "Alright, I'll handle it better than I did last time." The three of them didn't seem reassured, "Besides," Jesse continued, "He's gonna be coming for me, not you." Cassidy and Tulip sent him the same glare, "Is that suppose to make us feel better, then?" Cassidy asked.

There was silence for several seconds and no one was looking at Jesse anymore. He stared at all three of them. Everyone looked exhausted and heavy. "Listen.." He cooed, "I know we can all use a break from all this shit." "Hmph!" Tulip laughed sarcastically. Jesse swallowed, "It'd be nice to get out of New Orleans."

"I wouldn't mind getting out of here right away." Lily added, not keen on the idea of Beneke hot on her tail again. Tulip dropped her head her eyes looking up at Jesse sternly, "Where, then?"

"I've been looking at places on Youtube, there's this place in the Caribbean.. Bimini." Jesse watched as all three of them gave him the same look of confusion, "It looks real nice." Jesse added.

Tulip nodded slowly, her brow still low, "Bimini." She repeated. Jesse nodded, there was a spark in his eye that they hadn't seen in a long time, "Yea! There's all sorts of beautiful beaches, all you can drink catamaran tours.. all that fun kinda stuff." There was a few second of a pause before Tulip jumped to her feet, "Bimini, bitches!" Tulip proclaimed, her sudden liveliness causing Lily to jolt in surprise. Cassidy was unable to refrain from mirror Tulip's excitement, laughing and hollering with her. "Imma go pack!" Tulip stated, rushing to the bedroom as Cassidy followed closely behind her, their excited banter continuing.

Lily looked up at her brother, who seemed frazzled. It was clear to her that Jesse wasn't as excited and eager as Tulip and Cassidy had been nor did he have any intentions on Bimini happening right this second, and the look she gave him let him know that.

He pressed his lips to her with a sigh as he turned to follow where Tulip had gone - into the bedroom, watching her as she began packing frantically. Sitting in the living room still, she heard the electric spark in both Cassidy and Tulip's voices vanish. It wasn't more than a minute before Lily heard Tulip's tone heat up again. With a sigh, she got up from the couch and walked to the bedroom where Cassidy and Tulip stared at her brother. Lily tried to stay neutral, "What's going on?"

"Surprise, surprise." Tulip dragged sarcastically, throwing a shirt onto a bag she'd started packing, "Jesse didn't mean what he just said about leavin' this place-" "Yes-" Jesse said in a careful yet slightly harsher tone, "I _did_. I did mean what I said. I just didn't mean _now_ , right his damn second, Tulip."

"What's with you and this place, huh?" Tulip asked. Jesse took a quick breath in, throwing an arm out, "Our only leads on God is here." He stated. "God _isn't_ here, Jesse!" Tulip was nearly yelling now, "We've looked!"

"What _is_ it that's keeping you here, Jesse?" Lily asked, "Please just explain what we need to do for you to be satisfied with this place so we can move on."

Tulip turned her head to Lily. With her brow scrunched and her eyes with an annoyed glare to them, she shrugged her shoulders at Lily, "Why are you even compromising with him?" She shook her head, "God's _not_ here. End of discussion. So let's just get the fuck out of here already!"

With heavy annoyance and clearly close to his end of patience in him, Jesse sighed, "I met Jesus." The three of them weren't sure if they heard him right or if he was being serious. "What?" Tulip asked. "That's where I was yesterday. I met Jesus." Jesse repeated slower, "Well, the technically the twenty something great grandson of Jesus- but- that's not the point. The point is, he's not right. He's mentally deranged, and they need someone to take over for him while God's missin' - a Messiah-" Lily shook her head, "How? Where?" Jesse raised his brow, "Remember the men in the white suits?" Lily and Tulip leaned their heads closer to Jesse in unison, "The ones that tried to kill us!?" Tulip clarified. Jesse sighed, "Yes - but they were confused. They don't want to kill me anymore. They're a part of a secret organization- The Grail." Lily perked up.

She knew the guns she'd torn apart after the ambush in the apartment were from Beneke - The Grail was the last deal she'd completed with Beneke before having to leave Worthington and everything behind. She didn't know much about them, but Lily had a lump in her throat anyway - if The Grail was working with Beneke, it was likely they knew how badly they wanted her, and it made her worry. She had to explain to Jesse just how right she was being suspicious about the guns and how she remembered meeting representatives from the Grail. It was too much of a coincidence to not mention, "Jess-" But she was interrupted by Tulip, who sighed heavily in frustration, "Why do you care so damn much, Jesse?" Like a light switch, Jesse's tone was suddenly much more harsh, "Why do I _care_? Because he created the universe, Tulip, _that's_ why." His tone was very matter-of-fact, "If you would take a second and stop being so selfish, you'd see that!"

Suddenly, it was like the tone shifted in the room entirely. Lily's brow straightened as she held her breath, feeling a wave of sudden anger start through her. Tulip's harsh glare and scrunched up face released and she looked at Jesse. Her tone was so soft she was practically whispering and she was even smiling, " _I'm_ selfish? _Seriously_?" Her smile faded and her brows lowered as she paced a few steps towards him, "We have _always_ done _everything_ for you."

There was silence for a moment.

"What about us, Jesse? Huh?!" Tulip asked. She threw her arm out towards Lily and Cassidy, "Your sister uprooted her whole life to go on this... this... circle jerking hunt for God, who's _nowhere_ to be seen - Cassidy lost his damn fingers, and I've pretty much lost my mind!" Tulip yelled.

The two of them broke into a yelling match. Both Lily and Cassidy watched it unfold in a rapid speed, the two of them yelling over each other until finally Cassidy couldn't handle it anymore, "We hadn't even heard of Bimini until y'brought it up, Jess." He noted.

In an instant, Jesse's red hot eyes were on Cassidy, "Why did you get him that dog!?" Jesse yelled at Cassidy, who scrunched his face and pulled his head back immediately, "Wot's that suppose to mean?" He asked in confusion. Jesse pushed at the bed frame in front of him in a fit of frustration, "You know _exactly_ what it means!" He yelled between his teeth.

"Jesse-" Lily said softly, following her brother to the doorway of the bedroom, "Calm down. I have to tell you some-"

Jesse interrupted her with his eyes red and his voice bellowing, "I've been calm, Lily! But you still don't see it. None of you do." Jesse groaned. Cassidy, who wasn't fond of the way Jesse was talking especially towards his sister, had stepped out of the spot his feet had been planted on and moved towards Jesse. "Cassidy-" Lily hissed in annoyance, putting her hand out to discourage him from getting in Jesse's face - but it was clear that Cassidy was done just sitting and watching the situation unfold as an observer. He clearly had a lot on his mind.

They began yelling back and forth and Lily just backed away, staring at the ground as she took a breath, letting them scream it out. Suddenly Jesse's voice stopped while Cassidy continued, "Wot about my son, huh!?" Cassidy raised his voice a little louder, "The one you wouldn't help." Lily's eyes moved to Tulip quickly, who looked defeated and uninterested in trying to scream sense into Jesse any more. Since Jesse had stopped talking, his eyes were fixed towards Dennis' room. Lily turned her head to see what could have possibly got his attention out of the state of anger he was in as it appeared he was ignoring everyone all together now - but all she saw was Banjo barking.

Lily turned her head back to her brother, arching a brow as she questioned what could possibly be going on in his brain to stop him mid tantrum. Cassidy's voice was a lot harsher than they were used to hearing come out of him, "All cos o'yer precious Genesis!"

Lily looked at her brother, who wasn't even looking at Cassidy, let alone giving a word back. She pushed past Cassidy and stood in front of her brother, who was seemingly looking right through her. "What happened to you?" Lily asked, "Since the Saint-" She remembered the dark look in his eye the night he'd gotten back with the piece of his soul for the Saint. "Everything's been messed up since that night." She whispered. "Those guns-" She began to explain, "They _were_ from Beneke. I was right." Tulip could hardly hear Lily's voice from inside the room, and Jesse continued to stare seemingly past Lily as she continued, "The Grail - the white suits - they were my last deal at Beneke. One I'd been working on for months, rushing around with their classified information in my fucking bag in Annville-" Lily's eyes looked worried, "They have weapons and resources that are war grade, Jesse. I have a bad feeling-"

Cassidy exchanged a quick look with Tulip as they listened to Lily's realization and connection she'd made.

Jesse continued to stare through Lily as he spoke over her, "The Grail." He stated, his voice quiet, "They're convinced I'm the Messiah." He said softly. All three of them leaned towards him slightly as his voice was quieter each second. Lily scrunched her brow and shook her head, "What?" Jesse continued to stare past Lily to Banjo, who continued to bark, remembering the man in the Dog suit they'd found at one of the bars their first days in New Orleans. It hit him like a wall - he'd found God then and there that night.

Finally, Jesse's eyes moved to his sisters in front of him, and she saw the spark of realization in them. Her eyes widened and almost mirrored his, "What?" She asked. He turned and headed for the door, "I know where he is. God. I know where he is." He stated as he marched quickly.

Tulip walked out the bedroom door as she stood between Cassidy and Lily. Both Cassidy and Tulip looked to their side at Lily, who looked as disturbed and a bit flustered before walking towards her brother, "Jesse, did you even hear _anything_ I just said?" Lily asked. In one motion, Jesse grabbed his coat and threw it on as he found Lily's hanging on a chair at the table and pushed it into her chest, "It's not about me right now it's about God - I know where he is. We gotta go."

Suddenly, Tulip was quick to respond, her voice flat, "No, Jesse. _You_ gotta go."

There was a stale silence in the air before Jesse shifted weight, his eyes scanning each of theirs, "You guys aren't gonna come?" He asked, with no response. Lily looked down at the coat in her arms and swallowed. "What about the Saint?" Jesse asked.

Cassidy, who was more than happy to contribute, stood with his arms crossed as he glared at Jesse, "It's like you said, he's only after you."

Jesse took a moment to look at each of them in the silence, and deep down they all hoped he'd wise up and step back in and sort things out. Lily stared at him with sad eyes, watching him as he was clearly not phased by how divided they were. His eyes were not sad like hers, or furious like Tulip and Cassidy's - they were empty. It took a lot of effort for Lily to not move from her spot and follow after him. Finally, Jesse stepped out of the apartment, closing the door behind him, leaving Cassidy, Tulip and Lily in disappointing silence.


	81. Promise

In the kitchen, Tulip stood at the counter, drinking another glass of hard alcohol. Cassidy stood on the other side of the kitchen as Lily made herself comfortable at the table with a glass of wine. Finally, Tulip broke the silence, lifting her glass to her mouth, "I'm surprised you didn't go after him." She groaned into the glass. Lily moved her eyes up to Tulip, laughing sarcastically at the bitchy comment. She was clearly annoyed Lily hadn't been as confrontational and angry as Tulip was. "I just don't want to lose anyone again." Lily replied, trying to justify her need desire to try and keep things neutral earlier. But it didn't matter to Tulip, who shook her head, "You need to come to terms that your brother clearly doesn't feel the same way." It broke her heart to see Tulip so cold and acting like she didn't give a damn about Jesse. Of course Lily knew how hurt she was, and soon she'd admit that but Lily understood that at the moment, Tulip was seeing red.

Cassidy stood quietly, adjusting his sunglasses as he thought on everything that happened the last hour or so.

"How long does everyone need to get their shit together before we go?" Tulip asked, with no answer returned. In the silence, Tulip slowly turned and stared at Lily, "We're still doin' that, right?" She tested, "Leavin?" With a deep breath in, Lily nodded, her mouth twitching a bit. Tulip nodded softly, "Good."

"We don't even have everything we need to leave." Lily said, eager to put the brakes on Tulip until things cooled off and Jesse came back from wherever he ran off to, "We need to sort things out." Suddenly, Tulip was throwing her coat on.

From the seat at the table, Lily perked up, "Where are you going?" She said practically through her teeth.

"You're right. We don't have everything we need. We need shit for Bimini, so I'm going. Out. To grab stuff." She stated as if Lily was dumb. With a quiet groan, Lily rubbed her head. She'd intended to keep Tulip in one place still longer, not promote her to want to leave the apartment. Tulip cleared her throat, "Alright. So?-" She leaned her head towards the door eagerly, "You comin'?" She asked. Lily swayed her head to one side with an unimpressed look on her face, "Tulip.. Beneke is out there."

"Well, so is the Saint." Tulip spat. "You don't think this is the first place he's gonna come back to?" She had a point. But Lily couldn't be running around town, not with the way Beneke was out after her. "Jesse said he'd handle the Saint." Tulip scoffed with a smile, turning her head from Lily and biting her lip to hold back from screaming. She looked back at Lily, "Cause he did such an amazing job at that for us last time." Cassidy groaned from his corner, lighting another cigarette.

Lily sighed, "Someone could recognize you out there, too, Tulip." She stressed, " _Or_ Jesse. We need to find out where he ran off to - where these people are, talk him out of this." Tulip snatched her purse, adjusting her leather jacket with her back to Lily as she marched towards the door, "I'm done talkin' your brother out of stupid shit. Text me if you want anything for the trip. And let me know when it is that you finally see Jesse doesn't give a shit about anything other than God." Tulip stated, closing the door.

Lily sighed, feeling defeated. It wasn't long after she felt Cassidy's eyes burning into her. Turning her head towards him she shook her head, "What?" Lily asked, deflated. "I wanna show ye somethin'." Suddenly, a jolt of realization went through Lily - she'd forgotten she'd planted the Les Enfants Du Sang website on Dennis' laptop. She cursed to herself in her head, not imaging things to be the way they were now when she planted the website on Dennis' laptop earlier. Had she known everything was going to be a giant shit storm again, she would've thought of how to deal with Dennis a different way.

Dennis wasn't in his room, but his laptop was open on his bed.

"Where is he?" Lily asked cautiously.

"Not here." They both glanced back at the computer screen.

"I found it earlier." Cassidy admitted, before sighing heavily, his face distraught as he dropped down on the bed as it squeaked beneath him, "Who knows wot 'es gettin' 'imself into." Lily felt her heart drop a bit at how upset Cassidy looked, "Really shittin' the bed on this whole dad thing, huh." Fearful for what kind of things covered Dennis' bedding, Lily just stood closer to Cassidy, placing a hand on his shoulder as sympathetically as she could, her eyes scanning the room, "He's not the perfect image of a son either." She groaned, trying to sway his perspective. Her eyes moved back to him as he looked up at her and she could have sworn she was beginning to see his eyes well up slightly, shocking her some.

"Dennis, H-He-" She stuttered quickly trying to find words to reassure his doubt in himself before he had a breakdown she wasn't sure she could handle, "Obviously has issues... that need to be worked out, but... I'm sure you have _all_ the kind of advice and-" She took a breath, trying to keep her tone on the positive perspective, "And understanding for his problems he's... facing." Her words got slower and sounded more awkward the further she went. Eventually she just exhaled, her shoulders dropping a bit as she tried to be more honest, "It's hard enough being a parent." She said in a more familiar tone, "No one's a perfect mother or father. Dennis is lucky to even have you show up at all." She stated, shrugging one shoulder.

He looked up at her at his side and she could see his dewy eyes perfectly from the angle she was looking down at him. The closer she got, the more he could notice her pulse and smell her. His mouth watered and he swallowed the lump in his throat, looking down, "It's more than jus' him that's a problem. It's me. I need to take some time to clear my mind a bit before we take off." He groaned.

Lily leaned forward and a bit lower towards him with a face that didn't seem convinced, her tone was low as she repeated his words slowly, "Clear your mind?" She stated doubtfully. Her arm around him got a bit tighter as he huffed in frustration. Not like he could blame her for her criticism, his main priority was often maintaining a constant high that refrained his head from being clear at all.

Like vomit, he felt the words come up his throat, "I've been havin' a really hard time with blood. Particularly yers." He confessed. His shoulders seemed less heavy as a wave of relief to finally get the thought he'd had suppressed inside him for so long were finally out. Like a light switch, his stomach turned and he felt sick suddenly. It was like time stopped as he waited to see her reaction.

He was a bit relieved to see she wasn't jumping out the window. There was a few seconds of silence before she finally broke it, her arm around him loosening the slightest, "What kind of a hard time?" She shook her head. "Like, getitn' a whiff of yew an' strugglin' not t'rip yer throat out kinda hard time." He said simply. Lily took a breath in and raised her brow, clearing her throat, "Well, how long? After Dennis?" She asked, imagining that having to talk to him and go through the early stages of being a vampire must have brought up some things in him.

He shook his head regretfully, "Since y'first gave me that bag of yer blood."

Unwillingly, Lily straightened a bit, trying not to move her arm that was around him as much as instinct was telling her to as she began remembering how terrible he'd been hurt back in Annville. The tiny hospital was empty of blood and the small animals weren't doing much for him, considering he was practically burnt to a crisp. She'd taken it upon herself, with help from Emily, to draw some blood from herself. She could still smell terrible stench of the room that he had been in, and the glint in his eyes when he grabbed the warm bag of her blood from her.

He knew it was fresh, he'd called her out on it, and her gut told her then and there to not admit it'd been hers. The way he'd drank it and ripped the bag apart had sent such a shock of fear for her own life, she hardly recognized him showing up to her motel door hours later.

She blinked, her blood running a little cold suddenly, "Oh." She said flatly. "Yea." Cassidy groaned shamefully. After a few seconds, Lily took a deep breath, "Why didn't you tell me?" He shook his head slightly, "Was jus' worried how you'd react, I guess." "Hm." She hummed thoughtfully, she _did_ have a tenancy for overreacting and jumping out windows, so she couldn't blame him for feeling a bit nervous about telling her anything. "Things got better." He said with a deep breath, "When we were all at Viktor's n'Jess used the Word to get me t'yank ye outta there. I was rough wit yew. Not on purpose." He specified, staring forward as he talked, "But he used the word again, ' **Don't hurt her'** " He thought about it, "Hmph." He chuckled halfheartedly, "Jus' like that- I didn't feel like I was livin' in constant struggle of tryin' not t'rip you apart."

"Wow." Lily said immediately to his blunt words, a cold chill running through her spine.

"Yea." He whispered simply.

Lily swallowed the lump in her dry throat as she was at a bit of a loss for words. He looked up at her, "And then suddenly it came back. Got worse again." He admitted shamefully. Finally, Lily found the air in her lungs to talk, her words were soft as she shook her head, "You wouldn't kill me, Cassidy." She stated, her confidence in him made him feel a bit better, but the sympathy she was showing also made him realize how she didn't understand how serious this problem he was having was.

With his brow scrunched he shook his head, grabbing her arm, "Of course I wouldn't. Not on purpose. But lately, with Dennis-" He held his breath a moment before exhaling deeply, "It's jus' a really complicated situation n'my heads on a bit crooked. Jus' need a bit of space before we run off."

She nodded, "Alright." Sliding her arm off him she walked towards the door, heading for the washroom. Cassidy stared at her walk down the hallway before his phone vibrated in his pocket. He held his phone in his hand, earlier he texted Dennis asking him where he was and he'd responded - he was at a bar down the road. Cassidy texted back:

 **ill meet u there**

When Lily walked out of the washroom Cassidy wasn't in Dennis' room anymore. From the bedroom they'd been staying in, Cassidy heard Lily's heels clack against the squeaky wooden floor as she came closer to their bedroom. She saw him sitting on the bed as she walked in towards the dresser in front of him, digging at some clothes for herself, "If you think you're getting the bed then your head's more crooked than you thought." She stated jokingly.

Behind her, she heard him stand up from the bed, noticing a bag in his hand as he threw his jacket on.

"Wait-" She shook her head, turning all the way towards him, her brow furrowed, "You're _leaving_?"

"I'm goin' n'findin' Dennis, n'hopefully we'll 'ave things sorted in a coupla days at most before we go." Cassidy stated. She opened her mouth but he cut her off, "I know. Beneke's out there. I've spent my whole life avoidin' people who are tryin' t'kill me. I'll be fine." He was rifling through some last minute things to grab, "Mind keepin' an eye on Banjo?"

She was speechless. She had imagined he'd be bunking on the couch and distancing himself a bit, but not leaving _entirely_. "So, what, you get to go out and find Dennis at the bar and drink and smoke yourself into oblivion while I'm stuck here?"

Shaking his head, Cassidy's tone was a bit more stern as he looked her dead in the eye and turned towards her again, "This is not some stupide mates night where we go out runnin' around n'get ourselves into any fun er trouble!" He walked up to her, pointing a finger to the ground, "It's shackin' up somehwere n'tellin' him 'ow it is gonna be if there's any hope in us workin' things out. On our own _and_ as family." He stated.

She was having trouble staying calm - she wanted to yell at him and hit him across the head with the nightstand but truth was this was her fault. She'd planted the Les Enfants Du Sang website on Dennis' laptop thinking it would cause Dennis to be pushed away from them - but she hadn't known the dynamic of troubles Cassidy had been having. Her stupid action had only done the opposite - causing Cassidy to want to cradle Dennis more.

"I need you to _promise_ not t'leave 'ere." He stated, moving a bit closer to her. With a choppy breath, she shook her head, "The Saint is out there, there's no telling when Tulip will be back and who _knows_ where and Jesse is," She said, "I'm all alone."

He flashed his eyes above his sunglasses frames, "Exactly." She blinked at him as he continued, pointing a finger out towards the kitchen, "If Dennis comes back 'ere and it's jus' the three of us - no Tulip, no Jesse - there's no tellin' wot might 'appen." He was so serious it was a bit foreign, "I don't trust 'im, but I also don't trust myself. He's my son n'I have t'do wot I think is right fer him and myself. But how am I suppose to take care of 'im when I'm such a fuckin' mess?"

Lily's chest felt tight, and Cassidy found it in himself to take a breath and calm himself, "Jus' a day or two max before we take off t'Bimini, alright?" He said.

She nodded reluctantly, watching him pick up the small bag he'd packed as he adjusted his sunglasses, his mouth a bit crooked as he looked back at her once more before leaving. "Ring me if y'need anythin'." As he turned to leave, she felt the lump in her throat practically choked her until she felt the words come out seemingly on their own, "You're not going to say goodbye?" Cassidy stopped on spot, half of himself still out the door as he leaned back in. She stood, with the straightest face he'd seen on her, arms crossed and her hip sticking out only slightly. They stared at each other a moment and Lily's face held a challenge in her eyes.

Cassidy held his breath, knowing the enticing look that was buried in them.

It wasn't sultry or lustful as it had been so many times before. There was no glow in her sad eyes or a smirk across her straight lips, but the look was there, the look she'd give him when she knew he wouldn't be able to resist giving into her. "After all that I jus' told you-" He shook his head, his tone a bit unimpressed if anything, "Y' _still_ want _anythin_ ' t'do with me? The nerve to give me that look."

With a quick shrug she let out a shallow breath, "Guess after everything that's happened, it's going to take _a lot_ more for me to be jumping out of any more windows."

As the bag slid off his shoulder and thumped to the ground, Lily felt her stomach flutter as it had so many times before when he'd make his way so quickly towards her, nearly knocking her off her feet. He moved his hand up to her face and she was relieved when he kissed her, using both of her hands to grab at him any way she could. She thought for a split second how you wouldn't have known the man she was kissing so intensely just confessed to her that he was having trouble refraining from killing her, but nothing about the two of them was ever simple to begin with.

Suddenly, he pulled away, a bit lost of breath, "You're jus' as bad fer me as y'are good, y'know that?" He asked, the smell and feeling of her all too enticing as his mouth watered, but his heart too swollen in the moment to give into the instinct. She squeezed into his chest, his voice vibrating in her ear as he spoke, "Soon we'll be on our way to Bimini without a worry in th'world." She looked up at him, his head dipped down a bit so the tops of his eyes looked down at hers above the frames of his sunglasses, "I promise." He said.

And just like that, Lily was alone.


	82. Tolerate

It had been hours of Lily being on her own in the apartment and she'd only _just_ finally managed to get an answer back from Tulip. In the middle of her errand running, Tulip had unsurprisingly ended up at a bar.

 **Come meet me.**

Lily looked at the text from Tulip and groaned:

 **Beneke's probably waiting for me out the front door.**

Lily hardly had time to put her phone down before Tulip responded, and this one had a picture attached:

 **Ur being over cautious - bet u will feel better after a few of these.**

Above her words was a picture of her smiling beside a large drink by her face.

With a big breath in, Lily felt so torn and a bit helpless:

 **I can't.**

Tulip typed back right away:

 **How can u and Cass stand being in that apartment any longer? Ur loss! Jenny just got here anyway.**

Just like that, Lily's mood flipped like a light, "Oh, _fuck_ no." She hissed aloud to herself. No way in Hell was she going to sit in the apartment by herself, staring at a wall when some random bitch was drinking with Tulip. _She_ should be the bitch drinking with Tulip. Tulip didn't know Cassidy had left Lily alone, but she wasn't about to explain that. Lily's fingers typed at lightning speed:

 **I'm coming.**

As Lily sent the text, she could practically see Tulip's face in her mind - grinning and satisfied that her plan to entice Lily worked perfectly. Lily knew Cassidy had asked her to stay put, but she couldn't help it.

She grabbed her jacket and walked out the front steps of the apartment, only to have her phone ring in her pocket before she could hardly leave the property of the apartment complex. Scanning the area before leaving the front gates, she took a deep breath. It was a damp foggy night and it felt good to get out of the walls of the apartment. Grabbing her phone, she checked the call display. It was Cassidy. "Hey" She said nonchalantly.

"How's it?" He asked. "Fine." She stated, glancing behind her, half expecting him to be right there.

"Hm." He said halfheartedly, "Is Jess or Tulip home yet?"

Lily looked both ways before crossing the road, "No." She said, "Not yet. Did you find Dennis?"

"Yea." He stated.

Lily nodded as if he could see her, which she was almost positive he could considering he'd called her as soon as she stepped foot outside.

"Hm." Cassidy hummed again.

Lily lowered her brow, "What?" She tested with a bite in her tone.

"I can hear yer heels clickin. It sounds like yer walkin' somewhere." He stated, "In fact, it sounds like yer blatantly disregardin' the _one_ thing I asked yew to do." She took a deep breath in before letting out a sigh, "Cass-" Before she could defend herself, he cut her off, "Lily!" He scolded a little too loudly. She pulled the phone a little ways from her ear as he reamed her out, " _Cassidy_ ," She spoke over him, "I'm _just_ going to find Tulip." She justified, "Relax."

" _Lily_." Cassidy groaned, "Please. Jus-" He sighed heavily over the phone. She stopped in her tracks of stubbornness.

"I'm tryin' my best 'ere tryin' to fix everythin' wit Dennis." He stated. She kept the phone to her ear as his tone got softer and melted her heart, "Jus a little longer n'then I promise I'll chase you around _wherever_ , but fer now my heart can't handle worryin' about fixin' things with Dennis _and_ about where yer runnin' around to."

Lily closed her eyes and straightened her mouth, unwilling to admit to herself how easily he'd made her stubbornness vanish. Her eyes caught someone who walked by her as she took in a deep breath of the damp air, "Fine." She said simply.

"Thank you." He said. She let out a shallow breath before hanging up the phone. As she turned around to head straight back for the front doors of the apartment building, her phone buzzed, a text from Cassidy.

 **Forgot to tell u i left a dose of medicine in the night stand.**

She'd forgotten she was almost to the point where she would need his blood to suppress the pain that came from the withdraws of not having it after a certain amount of tme. As she returned into the apartment after her short lived journey, she slammed the door and threw her coat off in frustration. As she leaned against the counter with her eyes fixed to the ground, her mind raced a bit until it came to a stop. She realized then and there that wherever Cassidy was, he was still keeping an eye on her. She'd been under the illusion that he was so far away, but he couldn't be. Not to be calling her on the spot like that as soon as she stepped foot out of the apartment.

In a quick pace, she rushed to the bedroom, opening up a drawer she'd stashed some things in, rifling past some cash she found a few phones - spare ones in case of accidents or needing a drop phone. Turning one on, the bright display of the phone screen lit up her face in the dark room. She signed into Cassidy's phone credentials over a desktop app, opening the service to track where the phone was. She had set up his phone to begin with - being as naive to technology as he was, not even he would know the credentials she used to do what she did. Sure as shit, he was only a block away. Wherever they were staying, it wasn't far at all.

As she stared out the window she placed the phone back in the drawer, massaging her arm a bit as she was beginning to feel sore. She was so used to it by now that she didn't even notice she was headed for the vile of blood Cassidy had left for her until it was in her hand. When she opened it to pour it into her water, she paused, realizing just how desensitized she was to the situation.

Suddenly, Tulip's voice was in her head. Lily remember what she had said the night the two of them went out and she'd told her about her reliance for Cassidy's blood. Tulip's words flooded her head, _"Seriously, Lily, you've got a **major** problem if you have no issue admitting and talking about all that blood-reliance stuff you just rambled about, but can't make up your mind of how you feel about him. Do you even want to be around Cassidy? Or do you just tolerate him cause you have to?"_

Lily's zoned out, holding the vile still above the glass in her other hand as she thought on Tulip's words the night the two of them went out. She remembered what she had said in return to Tulip, _"After all this God stuff is over and things have settled down I'll deal with that. Talk to him about it. All that stuff."_

 _"Sound like there's no talkin' needed."_ Tulip had stated, _"You said so yourself - you're pretty sure you literally rely on him now - biologically, anyway. If that doesn't talk enough on it's own.."_

Lily found herself sitting on the bed at her side with a lump in her throat. Her eyes were glued onto the vile of blood, suddenly feeling just exactly how much she relied on Cassidy. It made her stomach turn and her chest tight at the thought that she couldn't go anywhere without him or she'd more than likely die. After letting out a choppy sigh, she placed the vile and water down on the bed side table and grabbed her phone, trying to call Tulip. When there was no answer she texted her:

 **Not coming after all. When are you coming back?**

With no response and the silence around her too uncomfortable, Lily grabbed the vile of blood again and went for the water. As she opened it, she stopped again. The vile slipped from her fingers and broke against the ground, she stared down at it, doing the best to convince herself it was an accident.


	83. No Choice

It was almost an hour after Lily had texted Cassidy that he was back at the apartment. He walked in and saw her scrubbing at the dark maroon stain of his blood from the old wood floor of the bedroom.

"Jesus." She cursed, standing upright, "What took you so long?" Cassidy sighed, "Sorry, don't know why I didn't notice my phone go off-" He looked a bit flustered as he grabbed a syringe from a nearby drawer in the bedroom and poked himself with it with ease, "Are y'alright?" He asked. Her brow was low and she had hardly looked at him, "No-" She groaned, "I'm sore as Hell." She stated honestly. He removed the needle from his arm and passed it to her. "I called and texted you a hundred thousand times!" She stated dramatically.

Cassidy pulled his phone out staring at it, "I know! I don't know why it didn't go off-" Lily yanked his phone out of his hand, pressing a couple buttons before she groaned, "It was on silent." She groaned lowly, tossing it back at him. Staring at his phone perplexedly, Cassidy wondered how he'd managed to do that.

Lily held the syringe above the glass of water, dropping the blood into it and nearly downing the glass in the same motion. With a sigh, she moved the glass from her lips and felt the effects as instant as he had the first time she'd tasted his blood. When she looked at him, there was still the streak of hurt in her eyes as their was before she'd downed the dose of his blood.

"Do-" He stopped, "Y'feel better?" He worried about the glint of pain still in her eyes.

"Fine." She said, making it well aware to him now the look on her face was not from the physical pain she'd just been in.

"I'm sick of relying on you." She admitted, to which she immediately noticed his brow raise in surprise, "Of getting hurt all the time and relying on you just to keep me alive." There was a sudden lump in Cassidy's throat after hearing her words as she continued, "What's the point of my life now? To just wait around and hope you are always going to be there to carry me over to the next day?"

Cassidy's heart broke a shook his head his brow furrowed, holding a hand out to grab her, "It's not-"

"What if you didn't come back?" She interrupted, "And I _didn't_ get your blood in time?" Cassidy's mouth went dry for a few seconds as he finally took a breath and shook his head again, "Of course I was comin' back." He said softly, "Y'think I'd jus' let you die?" She shook her head back at him and raised her brows, her face not mirroring his soft look but a hardened one instead, "Not on _purpose_." Cassidy felt a lump in his throat as his shoulders dropped as she continued, "But what if something happened to you? Even for a day. And I just-" She looked from one of his eyes to the other, "I can't be stuck. Not allowed to leave. I feel like I'm losing my mind." She admitted truthfully.

Cassidy raised his brow and held a hand out, his tone calm and understanding, "Y'want some more independence, then?" He asked, "That's wot this is about, right? I'm sure we can figure out a way fer y'to get wot y'need without me bein' around all the time." He tried to reason, "Jus' the way everythin' is now, I'm jus' asking fer now that you just keep low, relax-"

"You are not going to be able to be there for me every time, Cassidy." Lily stated. He shook his head, "How d'yew know I won't?" He asked, grabbing both her hands as hers slid up to grasp his arms. "One day I'm going to die, too." She said, moving to a more blunt approach, "Something could happen to me at _any_ time." She squeezed his arms she held onto harder as she stared as far into his eyes as she could.

His brow narrowed and he leaned forward, "Lily." He said, holding his breath a moment before he continued, "Yer not goin' where I think y'are, are you?"

"Please." She looked up at him, and the words came out of her mouth processed slowly in his mind, "The problem is me, right? My blood?" He stared at her, "So fix it." His mouth watered and his head went fuzzy at the image she'd just opened to his mind.

Suddenly and thankfully there was a 180 in Cassidy's emotions and he felt sick. "Listen-" He stopped on his words, closing his eyes and trying to stop his head from spinning the way it was as terrible images flashed into his mind.

There he was trying to figure out a solution to his sick instinct to want to drain her of her blood and there she was promoting the idea. He wasn't in the right mindset, and he'd spent the past few days trying to fix that, but was now only feeling more out of control. Despite his emotions, his tone on the outside remained calm, and he was proud of himself for that, "Let's touch base on this another time, then."

She dropped her shoulders and slid her hands from his, shifting her eyes to the side with a sigh, "When?" She asked, looking up at him, her tone switching from sweet to sour in an instant, "When I'm on my _deathbed_? Old and crippled like Dennis was when you changed him? Oh, _yaaa_ \- spending eternity looking like _that_. That's fair." She spat.

Cassidy did his best to keep his head on, but she was making it difficult the more heated she got. His tone got a little more sour to match hers, "Wot's not _fair_ -" He growled, "is fer _you_ to be even puttin' me in this position right now." He took a quick deep breath, "Why can't y'jus see y'ave many reasons t'appreciate the normal life y'have-"

"Normal!?" She barked, "Right!" She scoffed with a mocking grin, as she waved her glass up in his face, "Reeeal normality going on here. Needing to ingest _vampire_ blood to keep me _living_!" She was nearly shouting. Having enough of being nothing but interrupted and nearly losing his mind, Cassidy shook his head and suddenly had much more of a bite to his tone, "I don't 'ave t'justify _anythin_ ' t'yew!" He shouted, "I'll help y'feel less reliant on me, or more independent, or wotever it is that's yer problem is right now, but _don't_ be tellin' me wot t'do as if yew know _anythin_ ' about it!"

"That's just what you want, isn't it?" She stated, "For me to be the helpless human being-"

"That's not true."

"Tied to you with no choice!"

Cassidy snapped. He threw a large arm chair that was at their side room as it broke against the wall. Lily flinched in surprise, and suddenly, Cassidy's tone was frightening, "No _choice_?!" He shook his head, "No choice!" " _You_ listen to _me_." He demanded, "It was you. _You_ were the one who decided to overdose on th'blood in that basement that day yer friend died." Her mouth went dry, "That was _all_ **yer** doin'. _Your_ choice. Not mine."

"N'when yer body went into shock after that _stupid_ decision y'made, **I** was the one who was able to save you. No- " He corrected, "Who _keeps on_ \- savin' you. Every. Day. So you jus _remember_ that the next time y'decide to talk to me th'way you jus' were!"

Speechless, Lily kept her eyes glaring into his as she struggled to hold back the tears that welled up in her eyes.

Finally, she exhaled the breath she held, turning her back to him and walking to the other side of the bedroom, "Just fuck off."

"Gladly." He stated, turning towards the door and slamming it shut on his way out.

* * *

Cassidy stared out the window of the hotel just down the road, with a clear view of Dennis' apartment.

He leaned into his palm, his one knee bouncing in an agitated manner as his mind raced about the scene just a few minutes prior. Suddenly, he wasn't sure the explosive approach he'd taken had been the right one, but he also wasn't sure he had much left in him. It was either shut her up and leave, or let her push him to the point of making him rip her neck apart and more than likely kill her rather than change her. But he didn't even have the chance to explain that to her, she gave him no chance.

Remembering the look in her eyes before he left, he felt his heart ache.

He'd lost his head back there, but not in the worst way he could've. It had shut Lily up, but it had made him feel awful.

Glancing across the room to Dennis who was actively on his phone, his mind changed thought pattern. Cassidy had had a Hell of a time trying to work with Dennis since they'd arrived in New Orleans, but an even harder time since changing him into a vampire. It proved to be harder than expected keeping an eye on him as he struggled to implement what Cassidy's idea of morals were in terms of vampirism, and it was proving to do more harm to himself than good for his son.

Suddenly, his eyes moved back in front of him to the window as he noticed someone leaving the complex. He didn't need his advanced sight or sense of smell to know it was Lily - her vibrant trench coat flailed in the wind as she tied it shut. The air brought him her smell and he immediately felt his regret for being so harsh melt away and rage took over again. She looked like she was practically sprinting, but no amount of speed she had would compare to him in any form.

Standing up, Cassidy smashed his cigarette into the ashtray beside him, nearly breaking the table as he did. Pointing a stern finger and red eyes towards Dennis, Cassidy threw his jacket on, "Stay here." He ordered Dennis, grabbing his phone on the nightstand between the two beds of the room.

It didn't take him long to catch up to her. He watched as Lily stayed on the side of the road, staring at her phone before she noticed a cab drive up to her. She held her hand out and jumped in. "Fer fuck sakes, Lily." Cassidy hissed under his breath, "You. Are. Un-fokin-believable."

With his blood already boiling, Cassidy turned his head back and forth until he saw a small pick up truck head his way, as it drove by, he jumped into the box of it and soon after the driver screeched to a stop. Cassidy reached around the cab of the truck, a loud metallic sound screeching down the street as he ripped passenger door open with ease as the driver, an elderly man, widened his eyes and raised his brows. A few bystanders watched in awe but Cassidy wasn't phased, "I need yer truck."

Soon he was well driving on his way, catching up to the cab with no issue as the passenger door's last hinge broke and fell onto the road.

Cassidy's blood boiled the entire drive.

He was going to ream her out and with his head the way it was right now, that wasn't a good thing for her.

He saw her taxi stop, and he pulled over not far behind her as he ditched the truck in an alley and made his quick pursuit after her.

Lily jumped out of the taxi in a fluster as she tossed the driver some cash. She turned. With a huff and pacing very quickly. It wasn't hard to notice that whatever she was up to was bad news. Just when Cassidy thought he was at his peak of fury in his head, he turned the corner to see where she stared forward, looking both ways down the road before looking at the large, regal home in front of her - it was Eccarius's.

The house was getting closer and closer, and Cassidy couldn't run to her fast enough. Lily hardly had time to hear him coming up behind her before he had his arm around her and hand over her mouth to prevent her from saying a single word until he rushed them many blocks away. He pulled them into a side alley, pushing her against the wall. Losing her breath a bit, she grunted a the impact of his aggression.

It was hard for her to remember if she'd ever seen him so angry. "Wot the Hell is wrong wit yew?" Cassidy growled between clenched teeth. His eyes flickered down her body for a moment, noticing all the guns she had tucked into her. His face was red, his eyes were red, he was basically foaming out the mouth. He wasn't giving her a chance to speak, "Have you lost yer God damn mind?! I tell y'not to go out anywhere n'yew decide _this_ is the best place to go?!"

Suddenly, there was a voice that was opposite contrast to Cassidy's harsh and furious tone, "What's going on here?" Cassidy turned to look behind him and Lily was just able to lean to her side a little to make out half of the stranger. He was no older than Lily, and there was a glint in his eyes that showed concern and bravery.

"Clear off before I rip yer head off, man." Cassidy warned.

"Miss," The stranger said cautiously, taking a step forward, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Lily said shortly, not meaning to waver her voice as much as it had. The man didn't seem convinced. As Cassidy pulled Lily in towards him he started walking down the alley further, away from the stranger. Boldly, the stranger approached behind Cassidy and reached his arm out to stop him in his tracks, "Hey!" He grabbed Lily's arm, "I don't think you're alright. Let go of her-" Before Lily could know what happened, she saw the innocent stranger hit the ground with a loud, stomach turning crack that echoed down the empty alley. Cassidy had knocked him out cold. Lily leaned towards the stranger, startled at Cassidy's aggressive decision. She'd meant to sound stern and loud, but hardly a whisper came out, "Cassidy-" Before she could even see how bad the damage was to his face, Cassidy had already yanked her the opposite way as they began pacing out towards the street again.

Soon, he had the both of them back at the truck he'd hijacked just minutes before. The still air in the truck was so tense, Lily wondered what awaited when they were in complete privacy behind closed doors. Lily stared to her right, there was no passenger door on the truck Cassidy had thrown them into. If she didn't have her seat belt on she would've flown out a long time before he was driving so erratically.

She debated if it was a better idea to unbuckle and let herself fly out the truck cab than to face Cassidy.

When they arrived at the apartment complex, Lily could hardly look at Cassidy in the face he looked so livid. She walked towards the apartment door and felt a little uneasy with her back to him. As he filed in closely behind her he slammed the door shut.

Taking a slow breath, Lily placed her bag on the kitchen table and slowly sat down on a chair.

"You don't have _anything_ to say?" He shouted.

Lily raised her brow and spoke slowly and with plenty of caution, "I don't know what you're getting mad at me for." She said softly.

He laughed unbelievably. "All these guns on ye?" She couldn't help but be a bit worried when he tromped up to her and reached his hand into her sides, ripping out a few hand guns before slamming them down on the kitchen table at their side all while she struggled not to flinch at his harshness. "Wot were you planning on, huh? Shootin' up the place? Jus' t'get a rise outta me?" He held his arms out, shouting even louder "Well 'ere it is, 'ere I am!"

"Get a rise out of you?" Her words sounded careful and a bit shaky, " _You_ texted _me_ , Cassidy." Her throat was so tight her tone was foreign, "I was worried, I thought something was _wrong_. What did you expect? Me to just show up in unarmed?"

There was a very slight twitch in Cassidy's hardened face as he thought about her words, "Wot are y'talkin about?" His confusion suddenly made her concerned. Her brow furrowed.

"I..." She paused, "I got a text from you." She moved her worried eyes from his red eyes down to her lap as she grabbed her phone and opened up their text conversation, "I thought you were in trouble."

She turned her phone to him, showing a text on her phone screen that came from Cassidy's side of the conversation:

 **Need help**

 **Enfants du Sang**

There were several seconds of Cassidy glaring at the screen before his face broke from it's tense state. His brow furrowed as he realized she was right. He shook his head. "No." He said, "No. No. No." He repeated, taking out his phone. Sure enough, his phone showed the text was sent to her from his side.

Cassidy stared at the text for far too long. The only person he'd been with was Dennis.

Suddenly it made sense why his phone had been on silent earlier. There was only one explanation for these issues and it was that Dennis had manipulated with Cassidy's phone.

He'd put Lily in harms way, and that betrayal was enough on it's own to cause a mental break for Cassidy.

Lily stood up slowly, watching Cassidy zone out on his phone screen. Reaching her hand out, she grabbed his arm softly, "Cass-" The look he gave her when he finally moved his eyes from the phone to her at his side was unnerving. She wasn't sure whether to be worried for him or worried for herself.

Suddenly, he snapped his phone nearly breaking in his grasp as he turned away from her and punched the side of the cupboard closest to him, breaking through it as dishes inside shattered, falling down and making a mess over the counter top and floor.

Lily flinched as she stared at all the broken glass and ceramic before suddenly, a loud metallic crunch caught her attention. Cassidy was grabbing the fridge and pulling it off the wall, throwing it across the room, breaking through the wall between the kitchen and bathroom. Lily stared at Cassidy as he continued to lash out. From the corner of her eye, she noticed water pouring out on the floor out of the washroom. She rushed to the washroom, seeing the fridge sticking half into it through the wall. The entire top of the sink had broken off and water was spraying everywhere. She squinted as she made her way through the water spraying in all directions to underneath the sink as she tried to turned off the water valve as quick as possible. It took her a while to notice all the noise had stopped from where Cassidy had been.

She got up, entirely drenched as she walked out to the kitchen. The front door was ripped off the hinges and on the opposite side of the kitchen, and Cassidy was nowhere to be seen.

And just like that, Lily was alone again.


	84. A Bittersweet Surprise

_Hi everyone - I have to say thanks to each of you for sticking with this for so long, it really makes it so much more interesting to write and pump chapters out knowing people really get a kick out of this story, ha. Anyways cheers and thanks as usual for all the reviews and feedback, it's greatly appreciated! I especially love hearing your predictions. Cheers!_

* * *

It was an hour after Cassidy had ran off and Lily was running out of steam to stay awake. She sat at the kitchen table, a giant hole in the wall behind her as the refrigerator stuck half out into the kitchen and half into the bathroom. It was dead silent in the apartment as her mind raced about everything that had happened in the whirlwind of the past few days. She decided to pick up her phone and dial her brother. It had been a day without him now and he hadn't even reached out to them. More than anything, she was worried for him. The look in his eyes before he took off was foreign to her - this God hunt, Grail and Messiah situation left a knot in her stomach. She didn't understand and above that, she wasn't convinced Jesse understood either.

What were these people - the Grail - doing with Jesse? Just a few days ago they were aiming to kill them, now they were relying on him?

It didn't seem right.

To Lily's disappointment, Jesse's phone went straight to voicemail when she attempted to call him.

Suddenly, the front door opened, and when it did, it fell off it's hinges. A very confused Tulip held the door knob in her hands still as the entire door fell down and landed against the wall, "What the Hell?" She asked aloud. Lily stood up, with a huff she made her way up to help Tulip with the door, "I tried my best to fix it but there's not many tools around here to get this thing back on-" Tulip helped her adjust the door on the hinges again. Leaning closer to them, Tulip hummed, "These hinges are completely bent - they're hardly even still on this thing!" She claimed, looking up and down the door frame.

They did their best to put the door on as much as possible before they both walked towards the kitchen table. "What happened to it anyway?" Tulip asked, throwing her jacket on a chair before her eyes caught the fridge halfway through the wall into the bathroom. She froze, her eyes widened and her brow scrunched before she looked at Lily.

"What in the fuck-" She held out an arm, "I just got that thing!" Tulip exclaimed, "You have any idea how long it took me to move everything from the old, gross fridge from before into this new one?! What happened?"

Lily took a deep breath, trying to sort her thoughts in her head.

Doing her best to explain everything that had happened in the several hours since Tulip left, Lily found herself worrying more about Cassidy. He was the most upset she'd seen him, she'd hardly recognized him.

After Lily was done, Tulip shook her head as she processed everything Lily had just explained, "Huh-" Tulip said as her eyes stared blankly at the wall, with a sharp breath in Tulip sat more straight and moved her eyes to Lily, "So, Dennis texted _you_ on _Cass's_ phone-"

"Yea." Lily said shortly.

"So you'd go run off to this place... what was it called? In-fant-du" "Enfants Du Sang-" Lily stated quickly, "It's some - underground, weird vampire-wannabe cult-" Thinking for only a second, Tulip was loaded with another question, "Who's this Eccarius guy?"

With a groan in frustration, Lily rubbed her head with one hand, "Remember that guy hassling us at that tequila bar that one night a while back?" With her eyes nearly popping out of her skull, Tulip slowly shook her head once, " _Noo_." She dragged in her typical 'I can't believe it' fashion. With her eyes closed and her energy no where near Tulip's, Lily nodded her head that she was holding up with her hand, her elbow sliding further and further on the table, "Yes." She countered, "That's him."

"He's a real vampire?" Tulip asked.

"He's a real vampire." Lily stated, her patience wearing thin.

Shaking her head, Tulip kept asking questions, "Why didn't you guys say anythin' about this vampire guy before?" Lily raised her shoulders, "You and Jess had your own shit going on-" She explained, "There was never a right time to bring it up. It's just been chaos."

Leaning back in her chair, Tulip was quite surprised, "Hm." She hummed thoughtfully as if she was trying to digest everything.

Tulip thought about earlier that evening several hours ago, how she'd been at the bar texting Lily and enticing her to come out, thinking that her and Cassidy were together. Tulip had needed to blow off some steam, and that she had, but not with Lily - with Jenny. Assuming Lily had Cassidy, she hadn't worried for Lily's sake. Hell, they'd been practically attached since they met, so it was a shock to her that he'd actually left her. Tulip's tone was soft as she stared back at Lily, "I had no idea you were alone here, Lil - you didn't tell me."

With a shrug, Lily shifted weight on the hand she was leaning on, elbow still on the table, "I had full intentions of meeting you - but things just got uglier and it didn't work out." There was only a few seconds of silence before Tulip hummed, "Cass must really be hurt." She said with concern. Lily nodded simply while Tulip looked back at her, "And he's not answering any calls I take it?"

Lily raised her shoulders, holding her other arm out while still leaning on the other, "He left his phone on the ground here after he threw the fridge across the apartment-" In frustration and stress, Lily let out a choppy sigh. Tulip slapped her hand down, grabbing Lily's arm that was on the table as she put her serious eyes on,"Listen," She said, adjusting herself to better face Lily, "Cass is going to do the right thing and work things out between him and Dennis. Fathers are not easy to deal with." Lily's eyes flickered up to Tulip's - who had a whole lot of experience in her eyes as she said the words she did, "Add the twist that the both of them are vampires to that equation and you got yourself a whole other kinda family affair."

Lily smiled, which relieved Tulip in many ways. So much could be said between them without words, and neither of them were the first to voice their appreciate, but often times, they didn't have to say anything to let it be known that they were thankful and loved one another, and Tulip knew as she stared at Lily in front of her that this was one of those times.

With a final sharp breath, Tulip leaned back away, squeezing Lily's arm before moving her hand back to her lap, "Not much we can do but wait." She declared, "It's nearly 4 in the morning. We both look like shit." Lily let out a feeble chuckle. "I say-" Tulip continued, "We get our beauty sleep before our big trip to Bimini." This trip was something Tulip was clearly excited for, but Lily wasn't. She knew it wasn't the ideal thing to do with everything that was going on. She swallowed slowly, not caring about the chances of setting of Tulip with her words, "We're really leaving Jesse?"

Thankfully, Tulip didn't explode. She sighed, "Lil, after how he treated us? You were there, we couldn't get through to him. He wasn't even there! How he just up and walked away from us after going off about _God_ this, and _Messiah_ that, after _every. Stupid. Thing_ that came out of his mouth, he literally dropped us on our asses and turned his back. I feel _so_ bad for you, Lily, that you actually believe that _we're_ the one who's turning _our_ backs."

Tulip's words were a giant dose of the truth, and it was a tough pill to swallow.

* * *

 ** _4 HOURS LATER_**

In the distance, Lily heard her morning alarm going off on her phone. Opening her eyes, she was a bit disoriented at first. She'd forgotten she'd fallen asleep with Tulip in the room her and Jesse had been staying in - but Jesse was still no where to be seen since he'd left the apartment the day before. With a groan, Lily got out of the bed as Tulip continued to snore quietly, completely not bothered by Lily's movement.

Lily yawned, rubbing her sore eyes as she shuffled half asleep into the room her and Cassidy had claimed to be there's during their stay in the apartment.

The sun was slowly coming up and the room was still dark. The thick drapes made it hard for what little sunlight there was to glow through. As she walked in, Lily closed the door behind her. Taking a deep breath she walked to the dresser her phone sat on, silencing the morning alarm. Dropping the phone back down, she turned around, nearly jumping out of her skin when she saw a figure in the corner of the dark room sitting an arm chair.

"Hey." The figure groaned. Lily didn't recognize the voice. Still in a bit of a panic at the mysterious figure, Lily stared in a frozen state until her eyes adjusted on the outline of the stranger a bit better. Somehow the small glow of light from the window caught on the figure - and it was then Lily noticed the reflection coming off of sunglasses. It was Cassidy.

With a wave of relief, she exhaled the breath she didn't know she was holding, "Jesus, Cass-" She held her hand to her chest as her heart raced, "You scared the Hell out of me." She walked towards him, expecting him to stand and embrace her, but he hardly moved. She moved a little slower after she noticed his lack of enthusiasm. The air and energy seemed to get thicker and darker the closer she got to him.

She slowly sat on the bed facing him, they were still a few feet apart but she could smell him like her nose was pressed against him. His sweat smelt like it was built up of mostly alcohol - as it more than likely was - and the stale cigarette smoke that clung onto him made her stomach turn.

It was silent, and she could hardly see him. Reaching her hand out to the bedside table, she turned on the lamp that sat on it. Once the light was on she noticed an array of drugs sat underneath it on the side table of the bed. There were multiple syringes, powders, and various other tools and items that she couldn't image what possible use they could be, but they were all covered in one substance or another. Cassidy made no effort to hide what was going on let alone move, untroubled of what she would think.

"I take it things did not go well with Dennis?" Lily said, worried to see Cassidy didn't crack a smile.

It felt like forever until he finally responded, "No." He finally groaned lowly, "No, they didn't."

There was a moment, and Lily's eyes flickered from the drugs to Cassidy, who hadn't had it in him to look at her. Her eyes moved to his arm, the sleeve of his jacket was rolled up and there were fresh track marks all over his arm. His chin was resting on his hand, and his elbow was on the arm rest. In his other hand was a pipe and he was sunken into the chair.

What little of his eyes she could see were pink and his face was the longest she'd seen it. He sniffed sharply, wiping his nose quick before turning his head slightly. As he spoke, his words dragged quite a bit. She could tell he was far gone and that said a lot considering his tolerance to drugs and alcohol was the way it was, to get to this point, he had to have indulged quite a bit. His words took a while to come out one after another, "I can't promise.. not to put you in harms way ever again... cos that jus' seems t'be... jus the kinda thing we don't have any control over." There was a pause and Lily wondered if he was going to continue. Finally, he did, "But what I _can_ promise is that I'll do a better job than I 'ave at protecting you."

"Cass-" Lily said, but he interrupted her, "I knew changin' Dennis an' everythin' that came wit that was gonna be a hard time-" He hadn't even looked at her yet as he continued, "I turned a blind eye t'some of the things I knew he'd done this past while 'ere wit 'im. Was jus' tryin' t'be somewot understandin'... but then it started takin' a toll on me."

With a short huff, Lily leaned towards him slowly, "I think we've all lost ourselves a bit since we've been here." She said honestly, "It's fine." There was silence and Cassidy had hardly moved since she laid eyes on him. She wished he would just look at her already. "It's fine." She repeated as sweetly as possible, Lily's voice was as calm as possible, "Where is he?" His eyes were low as he smoked from his pipe, inhaling sharply before taking a moment to hold it in.

He exhaled, his eyes staring down at the pipe, "I killed 'im." He stated simply before shifting his eyes back up to hers.

Lily's eyebrows raised on their own and her body unwillingly jerked the slightest. Slowly, she sat a little straighter, doing her best to try and see his eyes past the sunglasses he wore. Her throat was suddenly bone dry and she struggled to make any sound as she tried to speak. Her mouth stayed open and she tried her best to make noise until finally some sound came out, "What?"

"I took 'im out to the middle o'nowhere-" Cassidy explained, "Tied 'im up to a tree. Made sure t'wait to see th'sun come up. Watched him burn." Lily blinked a few times, "What happened?"

"If I didn't get rid of 'im he'd hurt people again, or worse - get so far into my head that _I'd_ end up doin' somethin' awful." He stared down at his pipe. His voice was so hoarse, it was no wonder she didn't recognize his voice when he surprised her when she'd first walked into the room, "I think that's wot he was goin' fer, honestly. This whole thing wit' him textin' you from my phone tryin' t'get you in some dangerous position-" She watched him shift weight slightly, "It was just the last strand of patience I had, n'I knew I had to end what I started. I didn't even get any explanation from 'im. He was yellin' - but it's not that I didn't understand the language he was speakin'- I jus'...didn't...give a _fuck_ wot his excuses were." He stated lowly.

There were several seconds of silence in the room between them. Eventually, Lily found it in her to stand up, "Need anything?" She asked him. He shook his head slightly as she found her way out of the bedroom. She caught herself exhaling deeper than expected, as if she'd been holding her breath that entire time in the bedroom, and maybe she had.

Lily went to the linen closet in the hallway and grabbed some towels before she walked to the bathroom connected to the master bedroom that was Dennis'. Her stomach hurt and her chest felt tight as her mind began processing what Cassidy had just told her. She couldn't even look at the surroundings that were Dennis' belongings.

She began splashing her face with water and trying to clear her head a bit before she dampened some towels with some soap. In the kitchen, Lily found some alcohol wipes in the a med kit. She made her way back to the bedroom. Cassidy seemingly hadn't moved in the few minutes she was out of the bedroom, however the tray that held the variety of drugs was nearly cleared off and she wasn't convinced it was because he'd put the leftovers away. Lily threw the towels on the bed beside her.

Looking back to him, he seemed to be nearly passed out in the arm chair. "Cass-" She whispered, grabbing his arms and shaking him, "Come on." Hardly able to pull him, she let go, turning behind her to the bed. If she pulled hard enough she could throw him onto the bed. She grabbed him again pulled on him. His feet didn't move as she pulled his upper body up. When he was nearly standing, she used the momentum to yank on his arms as she moved out of the way and he flopped onto the bed, face first, his lower half of his body still hanging off the bed. He was laying horizontal to the way the bed was situated, but it was a start.

She let out a huff of exhaustion as she already had a hot flash and she'd hardly done anything. Looking down at his feet, she took off his big boots and flopped them to the floor before crawling onto the bed and pulling at him to roll him over. He groaned slightly and she did her best to get his jacket and shirt off as quickly as possible. Those two things proved to be hard enough, she stared at his pants and decided against going through the effort. He smelt like absolute shit.

Grabbing a towel from the small pile she'd brought in, she began wiping his track marked arms and using the alcohol wipes to disinfect anything. Lily was expecting him to react to the alcohol touching the open wounds on his arms but he was hardly breathing.

She huffed, wondering why she was going through the effort of trying to make him clean and comfortable when he was clearly happy with where he was - she quickly decided she was mostly doing it for her own sake. Every inch she cleaned him she felt a little better.

Taking off his sunglasses, she wiped down his face with another soapy towel. With towel still in hand, she pressed two fingers to his neck. His pulse was hardly there. With a deep sigh, she threw the towels to the ground and collapsed back on the bed for a few minutes.

Eventually, she found it in her to sit back up and do her best to pull at him to get him laying vertical on the bed. She got up and moved his legs onto the bed. Although she'd cleaned him up as well as she could, he still reaked, and she was almost afraid if she touched him she'd absorb all the drugs that were likely sweating out of him. She'd have to burn the sheets when he was done sleeping in them this time.

Figuring he was knocked out to another dimension, she turned to walk out to join Tulip back in her bed. Lily wasn't expecting Cassidy to reach out and grab her wrist as hard as he did. An unwilling gasp escaped her, "You OK?" She asked.

He pulled on her so hard, she felt like her feet fell out from under her as she fell on top of him on the bed. His arms were around her and he squeezed her, "Don't leave me." He said. Lily's heart raced a little faster, her face buried in his chest as his grasp was so tight on her she was afraid she'd break in half if he squeezed at all. He'd taken a variety of substances, who knew what was kicking in for him now. Her voice was both muffled and clenched, "I'm not leaving-" She squirmed a bit, "I just need water."

Finally, his arms loosened a good amount. She began sliding back cautiously as she felt his hands move to her head. Eventually, he held each side of her face. His eyes were piercing red, like they were when he was red hot angry a few hours before, but they weren't harsh. They were broken and yet still hazy and glazed over in their usual way, "I'm so sorry fer everything." Staring down at him, she didn't have any words, "You understand why I killed 'im, right? Y'know I love you and don't want t'see _anythin_ ' bad ever happen to you, right?"

She nodded, her throat tight as she just continued to stare at him.

"And you?" He asked, "You feel the same way, right?" Still unable to form a word, she nodded to him. "Why's yer heart racin' so bad then? Like you're scared'."

He was right. Her heart was practically pumping out of her chest.

With his spastic behavior and mental state, she had to pull it together and do something other than shake and nod her head. She found it in her to speak as she shook her head, "No." Clearing her throat, she tried again with a little more volume, "No. I'm not scared." Lily swallowed, "Just overwhelmed." She stated somewhat honestly. Looking down at him, he blinked slowly, his terrifying eyes lowering the slightest to her. She wasn't sure how he was going to react to anything she did or said.

"You love me the same like I love you." He stated more than asked.

Her heart wasn't letting up on it's pace and she felt herself shake slightly, "I do-" She whispered, "I do love you. I love you." She assured, grabbing the wrists of his hands that were on her face.

To her relief, he smiled faintly as his eyes closed, "That alone makes everythin' worth it, then."

As his hands moved from her, she began slowly back up out of them, staring at him as she walked up to the dresser. She grabbed the spare phone that she'd used to log into Cassidy's cloud network credentials to track him earlier the night before and tried to seem as nonchalant as possible as she walked out of the room.

As soon as she closed the door behind her and walked into the kitchen, she felt herself nearly explode as she exhaled. It felt like she'd held her breath for hours, she hadn't realized how little she'd been breathing in there. Soon she was light headed, a couple quick tears fell out of her eyes, her emotions scattered all sorts of ways.

Her hands were shaking as she brought the spare phone she'd grabbed up to her eyes and erased the phone's contents - mainly, the proof on it of her framing Dennis.

Lily had set up Cassidy's phone for him back in Willingdon, so of course she had the means to sign into his cloud network into a spare drop phone and essentially create a working clone of Cassidy's phone. She had sent the text from the clone of Cassidy's phone to herself, knowing it would sync onto Cassidy's phone he was using.

It was a simple task, but she knew Cassidy was naive to technology that he'd never suspect or know how easy it was to do.

When he saw the message sent from his side of the phone conversation, he wouldn't have a doubt that it had been sent from his phone directly, and the only other person he was with that could've done that was Dennis.

She'd imagined Cassidy would be pissed off enough to cut Dennis off, but the fact he was pissed off enough to kill him was a bittersweet surprise - she was as relieved that Dennis was out of the picture as she was scared that it was Cassidy himself who killed him. More than that, she was terrified at the thought of Cassidy ever finding out she'd framed Dennis - so she just had to make sure he never would.


End file.
